Teacher (With Benefits)
by ButtButtDoodle
Summary: A collection of one-shot fics around the theme of TeacherxStudent. Ranging from fluff to the downright naughty. Main pairing SessKag.
1. Teacher's Favorite

**Universe:** Inuyasha

 **Pairing:** SessKag if you squint. (VERY OOC and very AU)

 **Genre:** AU, Fluff, Slice of Life, Adventure.

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters do not belong to me (sadly). They are the property of one Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Author Notes:** Hey. Had these stories on the back-burner for a while. Sorry for keeping "And They Call It Puppy Love" in hiatus for so long, but some family affairs came up and as such I had been unable to update that. Haven't abandoned it yet so no worries!

Anyways, here's a short little SessKag drabble to tide you over. I'll be posting here collections of mini stories with the typical TeacherxStudent scenario - with a twist! Something a bit more left-field, like most of my stories haha. Hope you like them all!

* * *

 **Teacher's Favorite**

888

Sesshoumaru Taisho, walking definition of arrogance and indifference to the world, didn't realize he had a favorite student in his classroom until she didn't show up to his Psychology 101 class. _Twice_ in a row.

Reports had been handed, grades had been assigned and class had been dismissed. As the white-haired professor finished putting away the rest of what would surely be _riveting_ late-night reading in the form of his student's latest project (if those half-assed writings could even be defined as such), Sesshoumaru looked up to scan the faces of his students with piercing yellow eyes. As the last student filed out, not hiding how desperate he was to leave the cold professor's classroom, Sesshoumaru realized she wasn't there.

Sesshoumaru was a stickler to the rules. He was very dutiful with instilling knowledge into his young pupils' impressionable minds, but he was always careful to keep the line between professor and student very _distinct_. Relationships between students and teachers, even at the college level that he taught at, were strongly frowned upon. Not that Sesshoumaru had any qualms about following this protocol. In his last three years as a professor at the University of Tokyo, he had felt no particular attraction or even the vaguest of inclinations toward any of his female students. In his mind they were all still children and the thought of dating any of them made him supremely uncomfortable.

But that student…Sesshoumaru pulled out his roll-call, scanned the list until his eyes found the name that had been at the back of his mind during the entire class.

Kagome Higurashi.

Pretty (in an average sort of way) with a bright disposition to participate in class and always eager to learn made her stand out to him. Higurashi could've been considered a bookworm, maybe even a teacher's pet, but she lacked the pathetic, introverted qualities of both. She was effervescent, genuine and always happy to help her peers. Her projects were continually the first on his desk, and if Sesshoumaru was honest with himself, the most interesting to read. She had very naïve notions of the world, a quality seldom seen in students taking psychology as their major, where classes were sure to make you jaded and cynical. But such optimistic insights often led to very interesting arguments in her work.

Perhaps, Sesshoumaru mused, it was her quiet earnestness or the way her blue eyes would dance when she understood a new concept that had made her earn a spot in his good graces, even though she had been his student for merely two months. He could relate to that attitude – the hunger for knowledge and the joy of acquiring it.

So when she had missed two of his classes, Sesshoumaru definitely noticed. He closed the clasp of his expensive, leather messenger bag and tried to – fruitlessly – squash the niggling uneasiness in his chest as he made his way out of the classroom. He would give Higurashi a what-for when she showed up next time, he thought, attempting to sound stern in his mind. He ignored the secret hope that he would see those dancing blue eyes again.

* * *

The following week though, the Higurashi that showed up to his class was so changed, it took all of Sesshoumaru's willpower not to interrupt his own lecture and go talk to her.

Her mood was so altered she might as well have been another person. Her hair was messy and her eyes unfocused, barely registering anything in class. And when she was not occupied with chewing straight through her lower lip, she took notes with a hand that shook perpetually. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the sudden change in behavior, inadvertently giving the student answering his last question heart palpitations as he thought he had given a wrong answer.

When class was dismissed and Higurashi, who usually hung back to ask questions or talk to her peers, ran out of the room, Sesshoumaru worried. Truthfully, he worried more than a professor probably should of a student he had no relationship with, no matter how much Sesshoumaru tried to rationalize his feelings.

The next class she showed up with eyes red from crying and her mouth set in a quivering grimace, and Sesshoumaru could no longer sit idly by and do nothing.

For perhaps the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru chose not to be indifferent.

"Higurashi." Sesshoumaru's baritone voice rang out as students filed out of his classroom. Kagome, who had been halfway down the stairs and already making a run for the door, froze, those blue eyes wide and frightened. Sesshoumaru frowned further. "I require your presence at this moment. I have some things I wish to discuss with you."

Kagome winced as if he had physically rebuked her, and very slowly walked towards the stoic man. Her shoulders were hunched, looking frail and small under her cotton jacket. She had lost weight, he noted.

Sesshoumaru waited for the rest of the students to leave, some sending Kagome sympathetic waves and secret thumbs up to give her support. Sesshoumaru's reputation as the strictest professor in the university was not for naught, and they probably thought the worst was to come. By the looks of his favorite pupil, she shared their thoughts.

The door closed at last and Kagome let out a shaky breath as she braced herself. She spoke first. "Forgive me, Taisho-sensei. I'm aware I missed two of your classes, and I did not hand in the last project in time." She hugged her binder closer to her chest, attempting to shrink into herself. Irrationally, Sesshoumaru's fingers twitched with the urge to comfort her.

"I swear it won't happen again. You know, I…"her voice trembled, eyes downcast as a faint blush powdered her cheeks. "I really enjoy Taisho-san's classes. I look forward to them each week. I promise not to slack off."

Sesshoumaru's hand fisted, not at all reassured by her answer. "While I must admit I am pleased to hear you say so, that is not what I called you here for."

And for the first time, something other than worry flitted across those blue eyes of hers. She seemed confused, her face an open book as she wondered what on Earth her solemn teacher could want from her. Those baby blues changed from confusion to downright surprise at his next sentence.

"Tell me what is troubling you, Higurashi."

"E-excuse me?" she stammered.

"You seem preoccupied in class, distracted. You are the most brilliant and applied student I have had in the past three years." At this confession, Kagome blushed prettily, obviously not expecting any sort of compliment from the usually harsh man. Sesshoumaru continued before the rational part of his mind took over and made him stop such an embarrassing scene.

"I do not say this often to my students but if…" and this is where Sesshoumaru took an hesitant step forward, feeling somehow awkward. He wasn't used to this; worrying about others. Feeling concerned. Caring. But he remembered that lost, sad look in her face, and he took the plunge.

"If I can somehow be of support to you, even as a friendly ear, I would be happy to comply."

Sesshoumaru didn't need to be a mind-reader to know that Higurashi was wondering how he knew. He could not answer her, only because there were no words to describe it. As the son to a single mother going through an ugly divorce and facing her demons in full view of her young child, he recognized the look of loneliness, of vanishing and drowning in anxiety. Back then he had not thought it so serious. He knew better now.

Kagome sighed, running a trembling hand across her unruly black hair. The action caused her top to lift, and Sesshoumaru noticed the alarming edge of a bandage above her hip.

"You wouldn't believe me." She whispered, and her voice was so far away Sesshoumaru could feel himself falling down the chasm of despair with her.

Against his logical mind, Sesshoumaru placed a large hand on delicate shoulders and caught her blue eyes with his own amber ones, attempting to drag her out of the darkness.

"Try me." He replied softly.

Kagome let out a shaky laugh, looking away from his own searching gaze, the entire experience surreal. "It's a long story." She tried to explain. "I'm sure you have other important things to attend to, Taisho-sensei. I don't want to take your time. I don't…"

For her, Sesshoumaru had all the time in the world, and then some.

"Let's go talk somewhere private."

* * *

Kagome and Sesshoumaru made their way to his office in tense silence. When they got there, he offered her a seat on the plush couch, and perched himself at the edge of his desk, as far away as physically possible in the small room. He laced his fingers together, resting them atop of one bent knee, and looked at the small woman-child before him expectantly.

Kagome, though still quivering slightly, sat straighter and looked at Sesshoumaru dead in the eye. Her eyes were resolute.

"I'm being haunted."

Sesshoumaru's face remained blank, impassive. The girl took her professor's stillness as a positive sign, and she reached inside her back-pack, looking for something.

Kagome pulled out what looked like a pink marble, but it seemed to Sesshoumaru to be emanating a soft pink glow of its own. Sesshoumaru shuddered, the room suddenly becoming colder, and all his attention focused solely on that innocent little jewel. Except Sesshoumaru knew what it was, and his mouth became dry at the realization, his head clouded with questions, like how someone like Kagome had gotten her hands on it and how quickly he could make it disappear from her life.

Kagome for her part remained oblivious to her teacher's inner turmoil. She took a deep breath, and began to tell Sesshoumaru a story.

About a girl falling into a well and an ancient world long forgotten except in the pages of history books. About a mysterious jewel being ripped from the side of her body – a quaking hand automatically went to the bandages at her side – and about demons. Real demons, monsters of lore, chasing her back down the well and into her world, hunting her and the jewel of myth.

Kagome spoke of a fear so crippling, she had been unable to leave her home, as misfortune followed her everywhere she went. In her eyes, Sesshoumaru saw triple the desperation his own mother felt back when he was younger, and hers had been enough to lead her to drag a knife down her forearms and bleed into the tub. Sesshoumaru had been powerless to help her back then, being a child. But he was a man now, and before him stood someone he could actually help. His second chance.

"You must think I'm insane." Kagome said after finishing her story, her voice raspy with unshed tears. She covered her face, shame and helplessness bowing her shoulders. "I know it sounds crazy; I wouldn't believe myself either if I hadn't been running away from demons for the past two weeks. I didn't know who I could turn to for help and these monsters kept talking about this "power" the jewel has. Shikon this, Shikon that. " She raised her head from her hands, and Sesshoumaru's breath hitched. Tears, hot and thick, were streaming down her porcelain cheeks. She was trying to hold back, sobs catching in her throat.

"I don't care about this stupid marble or its power. I just want…I just want…" her voice trailed off and she buried her face into her hands once more.

 _'I just want to live, Sesshoumaru!' his mother yelled at him, before slamming the bathroom door in his face._

If Sesshoumaru could've laughed, he would have, except the situation wasn't funny at all and instead he wanted to scream. Destiny had a comical way of coming full circle, and now the very jewel that had torn apart his family had somehow come back into his life through this poor girl. If Sesshoumaru was smart, he would run as far away from this as his legs could take him. He knew that if not happy, he would at least lead a very content life not dealing with the misfortune of others. The strong survived, and the weak had to learn to fend for themselves.

Sesshoumaru wanted to believe that, but he saw what happened when you turned an indifferent eye. In his mind, his mother's face - all sharp planes and angles - superimposed over Kagome's delicate, round features.

No.

He would never be indifferent again.

"I will help you destroy the Shikon no Tama." Sesshoumaru spoke suddenly.

Kagome stopped sobbing long enough to look up at Sesshoumaru with questioning eyes. "How do you know what it's called?" she asked quietly. He was both pleased and worried that she did not sound suspicious of him. Too naive, too trusting...

"It has borne many names across time, and held many masters, although none can truly own it. The only way to end your suffering is to destroy it."

A plan began to form so quickly in Sesshoumaru's mind it frightened him. Names of old acquaintances began to flit into his mind; a kitsune fox who had heard rumors of a dead priestess who knew how to destroy the jewel, and a spider demon who would do anything to get his hands on it. The teacher began to make a list of stops they would have to make, swords he would need to pick up on their quest and allies that would be willing to assist them. Sesshoumaru wasn't supposed to be so good at remembering these things. He had abandoned that lifestyle centuries ago, opted to merge into human society, learn their ways, how their minds worked and all those mundane things to make him forget his true nature.

Now, being The Demon Lord of the Western Lands was the only thing that could save Kagome Higurashi from an untimely death at the hands of the Shikon no Tama.

"So…you'll help me?" Kagome whispered, and beyond the fog of hopelessness, Sesshoumaru thought he saw a spark of those familiar dancing blue eyes.

"Yes."

Anything for his favorite student.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So this was just a plot bunny that would not go away. In an alternate universe, Kagome does not stay to travel in the Sengoku Jidai, but instead travels back to the future and battles demons in modern Tokyo. Her unlikely ally ends up being her university teacher, who may be more than what he seems and holds a dark and long past. I don't plan to make a continuation of it, so this will stay a one-shot until my brain decides otherwise.

Anyways, Hope you enjoy reading this fluffy little snippet. R&R please if you would like to read more!


	2. Math Romance

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Sengoku Jidai)

 **Pairing:** SessKag

 **Genre:** Fluff

 **Disclaimer:** Nope, still not my characters. Rumiko Takahashi takes all the credit for these cuties.

* * *

 **Math Romance**

888

Sesshoumaru hated math.

Contrary to popular belief, the Lord of the Western Lands did not hate a many number of things, because hating would imply that he cared enough about something to develop any sort of feeling toward it, be it positive or negative. Indifference was more of Sesshoumaru's modus operandum. Even boredom, which he had perfected with almost obsessive gusto. But try as he might to conceal it, he truly and desperately despised math.

He did not understand what possible value there was to know that if Peter had four apples and George only had two, how many apples would Peter have to give George to have the same amount of apples? Obviously if Peter had more apples, it meant he was the superior and wealthier being, and George should be grateful that Peter was even allowing him to keep any apples at all. (It was simple economics, really).

Sesshoumaru was not a very complex creature. He enjoyed doing little things: conquering and warring with his neighboring enemies, terrorizing the occasional village, blinking in boredom, caring for his little girl and idiot servant, posing dramatically in the wind for hours on end, practicing his scary faces, wooing a certain little miko – the simpler things in life. Math simply did not equate into his agenda.

So when Kagome turned to him and said,

"Wow, Sesshoumaru, you must really like math!"

Sesshoumaru merely looked back blankly, not daring to let her see his confusion and waiting for her to elaborate. That was what he liked (sometimes) about Kagome – waited long enough and she would fill in the gaps of silence in an attempt to make conversation, which Sesshoumaru was just not very good at (for lack of trying; this Sesshoumaru was good at _everything_.)

Not disappointing that excellent character analysis, Kagome prattled on. (The girl loved to talk).

"Everybody usually runs away the minute that I take out my math homework and try to explain it to them, but you always stay." She beamed that pristine smile, the one that made him feel young and lost and yearning-

"Hey! You're the smartest guy I know; maybe you can help me with this one! Here, I'll explain it and then…"she continued chattering away, patting the empty spot next to her and browsing through that ridiculously large dome in search of another impossible math equation.

Not willing to back down from a challenge – she had put his intelligence on the line when proclaiming him to be the smartest one of her entourage, an obvious fact but a flattering statement nonetheless – he dropped, almost effortlessly, into a sitting position beside the girl. When Kagome leaned into his side and put a hand on his knee familiarly to draw his attention to a particular problem on the book, he smiled inward.

Indeed, Sesshoumaru hated math.

But it had its perks.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** A quick and fluffy little piece. This was more for me, trying to have a grasp of Sesshoumaru's character and internal musings.

Not to say that Sesshoumaru wouldn't be smart enough to understand math, but as it would not serve any particular purpose to his life in the Sengoku Jidai, I would presume that he simply would not care enough to learn it. I'm sure with a little effort, he'd be a math whiz. ;)

Stay tuned for more.


	3. Pasion de Arraval

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Modern AU)

 **Pairing:** SessKag (one-sided)

 **Genre:** Romance(?)

 **Diclaimer:** Inuyasha and it's characters do not belong to me, but to the literary genius that is Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Author's notes:** Short and (not)sweet. Based on a prompt recommended by a friend: "Pasión de Arraval"(Tango). If you guys have any prompts you would like me to write, I'm open to suggestions. And question: do you rather the drabbles be short or long? Anyways...Enjoy.

* * *

 **Pasión de Arraval**

888

And there lay the magic of tango. She could pretend. Pretend her companion's hands on her back, her hips, her _skin_ , were greedy with desire. Pretend his lips were eager for her mouth, that his yellow eyes were intent on her and her alone. That his passionate moves were reflections of his heart.

Pretend that he- they could- they might- they _did_ \- they _had_ -

 _Pretend._

And all too soon, the tango was over, and Sesshoumaru dropped his young student's hands as if scorched.

With the same grace with which he had seduced his audience, Sesshoumaru pivoted on his heel and stormed out, leaving Kagome on the dance floor with an aching in her heart.

But for a few minutes, she could _pretend_.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Sesshoumaru as a dance teacher? Sign me up!3


	4. Tale as Old as Pre-school

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Modern AU)

 **Pairings:** SessKag, insinuated SanInu (if you really squint).

 **Genre:** Fluff, Slice of Life, Highschool

 **Disclaimer:** Come on guys...we all know the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi-senpai. (le sob).

 **Author's notes:** Oh gosh, brace yourself you guys. This is a long one. WAY longer compared to the last ones. Halfway through the story I ran out of steam, so…here it is. Not my best one, but what's done is done. And to make up for the previous drabble which was so short (goes to show, quantity over quality does not a good fic make). Enjoy.

* * *

 **Tale As Old As Pre-school**

888

Kagome Higurashi inched ever so slowly to the edge of her seat, heart hammering against her chest. Even though her teacher, Mr. Akiyoshi, was still talking and class was not over, her notebooks had been put away and her backpack was discreetly slung over her shoulder. Blue eyes snapped toward the clock on the far-off wall, seeing that there were only seconds left before the bell rang. Her foot twitched impatiently.

"And remember to read chapter three and four, which will be coming up in next week's test. Have a great day, class dismi- Hey, Higurashi! I'm not done talking yet!" The older man squawked as the petite schoolgirl jumped out of her chair and flew to the door.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Akiyoshi! Bye guys!" Kagome called behind her, already sprintiing down the hall to her locker.

"Sheesh, what's _her_ hurry?" Ayumi, one of Kagome's classmates, asked as she put away her school books. Rei, another of her classmates, shook her head with a small smile on her face. "You know how Kagome is, always energetic and raring to go. Girl can never sit still in class."

"But haven't you noticed that she always runs off like that on Wednesdays?" Ayumi questioned, her voice dropping conspiratorially. They were making their way out of the classroom, unaware of the two students following close behind, overhearing the conversation.

Rei put her finger to her lips, intrigued as well. "Now that you mention it, you're right. I wonder why. Maybe-"

"Don't go off creating weird rumors about Kagome now!" A rough voice spat.

The girls whirled around to see the classroom rebel, Inuyasha, throwing his backpack over his shoulder and standing only a few feet behind them. With his wild white hair, amber-yellow eyes and bad-boy attitude, Inuyasha was a shoe-in for the title of "School's Resident Hottie". Despite his boyish good looks though, most of the girls were too terrified of him, and no one except a few select students could keep up with his sudden outburst and constant mood-swings. Kagome, bless her understanding heart, was one of them. The other one was the school's popular athlete and tomboy beauty, Sango, who was standing discreetly beside the angry youth.

"We weren't! We were just curious!" Rei reassured him, waving her hands defensively. She flinched as Inuyasha scowled further, prepared for the onslaught of insults sure to come her way.

But before the boy went off, Sango put a halting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and turned to the two gossiping girls with a smile. Rei and Ayumi let out a sigh of relief, immediately put at ease; Sango had a very serene aura about her, capable of calming down others - especially Inuyasha.

"If you two really must know" Sango spoke firmly but amiably, "Kagome always picks up her brother at pre-school every Wednesday without fail. It's a very special day for her."

"Wow, Kagome must really love her little brother." Ayumi clapped her hands in delight, imagining the pretty raven with a miniature version of herself, since she had never seen Kagome's sibling.

"Keh, don't be an idiot!" Inuyasha barked, spitting to the side and shouldering past the ditzy duo. "She wouldn't be that excited over something so small. That fool is a lot shallower than that." He huffed and stomped down the hallway, muttering under his breath.

"That wasn't very nice." Ayumi said, pouting at the boy's retreating back.

"He's right, though." Sango said, smiling indulgently at Inuyasha's back, to the surprise of both girls. "That isn't the reason why Kagome is so excited for Wednesdays. You see...

…She has a crush on someone."

* * *

"Souta-chan! I'm here!" Kagome sang cheerfully from the doorway.

Shikon Pre-School & Daycare Center was thirty minutes away on foot from her high-school, but Kagome always managed to cut the time in half by flat-out running there. She tripped twice and nearly passed out from the head-rush of running non-stop for so long, but she wasn't the school's star track-and-field athlete for nothing. After obsessively checking herself in the window reflection of the colorful building and brushing any fly-aways with her hands, Kagome breezed into the classroom with a bounce in her step. The classroom was empty, most parents already having arrived to retrieve their young ones. The last one eased by her, nodding politely as she walked hand in hand with her charge, a tiny girl with curly hair in pigtails.

With a hasty scan of the room, Kagome quickly pin-pointed the little bundle of joy that was her baby brother Souta.

At the tender age of five, Souta was the spitting image of his mother and so cute he could easily be mistaken for a girl. Soft-spoken, obedient and sweet-tempered, Kagome adored teasing him just to get him to flash that bright smile of his. At the sound of his big-sister's voice, Souta stood up from the floor where he had been playing with blocks and ran to his sister. Kagome laughed as he slammed into her legs, crushing them in a hug.

"Kagomenee-chan! You came!" he piped, bouncing at her feet.

There was that smile she loved so much.

Kagome regained her balance, smiling back just as wide. "Of course I did, silly! Did you behave?" She asked, poking his nose with her finger playfully, much to his delight.

Souta noded enthusiastically. "Yup!"

For the past year, Kagome had been responsible of picking Souta up every Wednesday, since their mother would work overtime at her job. Kagome didn't mind the long walk, since she adored her younger sibling, and the daycare was on the way to their house as well. Petting the top of Souta's head distractedly, Kagome subtly scanned the room, searching for someone. No, she didn't mind coming to pick up her baby brother, she looked forward to it. But what she really looked forward to the most was…

"Leaving already, Souta-kun?"

Kagome spun around to face the owner of the voice and the reason for her fluttering heart.

Sesshoumaru was one of the teachers at the daycare and in charge of Souta's group. Impossibly tall, with wide shoulders and a fit body that no amount of clothing or aprons could disguise, Sesshoumaru was a beautiful specimen to behold. Merely five years her senior, it was only natural that Kagome would feel attracted towards the young teacher.

Despite their limited interactions, Kagome could swear he too felt the attraction. Although his lingering looks might actually be concern due to the fact that Kagome was always on the brink of keening over from her fifteen-minute sprint. Nonetheless, she would seduce the beautiful teacher, if it was the last thing she did.

Now if only she could untangle her tongue long enough to actually _speak_ to him…

Sesshoumaru wore his long, white hair in a braid that day. His bangs were pulled to the side with a pin, in the customary way he did whenever he was cleaning up the daycare after a long day's work. Despite wearing his habitually bored expression, Kagome saw the way his sharp yellow eyes softened as he addressed the small boy at her feet.

Souta turned that bright smile to his favorite teacher, nodding. "Uh-huh! Kagomenee-chan is here!"

"Hn." He acknowledged with a grunt, seeming uninterested. Some would argue that Sesshoumaru was much too serious to be a preschool teacher, but his somber demeanor often worked in calming down even the most rambunctious of children. And he seemed to have a soft-spot for children, since Kagome never saw him raise his voice or lose his patience with them (although he was quick to get annoyed with impertinent parents - especially the ones who hit on him).

"I can see that." The man said simply, dragging his gaze from Souta to the young woman in front of him. Molten gold met blue sky as their sights crossed. _Ugh, so beautiful!_

Kagome remembered her manners long enough to bow clumsily at the man.

"H-hello, Sensei." She said meekly, spine straight with nerves. Lightning-yellow eyes stared back coolly. No answer. "Um, well…"She grabbed Souta's hand, ready to make her usual flustered getaway, when his voice gave her pause.

"Thank you for your hard work coming here every week. I know it must not be easy for you to rush here after school." He spoke in a very formal speech pattern, one that was both old-fashioned and extremely endearing to her. On anybody other than Sesshoumaru, it would have sounded absurd. But with him, it was as if he was a great lord from a different time period.

 _Uwah! He's actually talking to you, Higurashi! Quick, say something!_

"N-no, not at all, Sensei!" She took another deep bow, nearly tumbling Souta over in her haste, though she quickly caught him. "Thank you for taking such good care of my little brother! He always speaks so fondly of you at our home!" she stumbled over the words in her nervousness.

"Of course, it is my duty and pleasure." He replied graciously, and she could've sworn she saw him smile as he knelt down next to the toddler. "Souta-kun speaks of your family a great deal as well. Tell me, child, are you not happy that your sister is here to pick you up?" he asked the boy kindly, holding his tiny hand in his larger one.

Souta seemed delighted at the attention. Kagome was just surprised – this had been the most she had ever heard the man speak. Besides the usual social niceties, he never spoke more than two words at her. She found she rather liked his voice. Low, rough, sensual…

"Yes! And sometimes, if Souta is extra good, Kagomenee-chan will buy ice-cream for both of us!" Souta declared with glee.

"That sounds delicious." His teacher agreed, then- "But Souta-kun…you must remember to invite me next time." Sesshoumaru chided him playfully. "Perhaps your sister will allow me to accompany her." Souta laughed giddily, excited at the prospect, but Kagome's breath caught at the implication of that. _Going out… with Sesshoumaru-sensei?_

Sesshoumaru was looking up at her from his position next to the young child, waiting for her reply. Kagome became flustered once more under those watchful yellow eyes.

"S-sure!" She said brightly. "We can make it a date- Not a real date!" Kagome quickly amended, flushing all the way up to her roots at Sesshoumaru's quirked eyebrow. "Like a play-date! Yes, for all of us! We could even invite some of the other kids from the day-care, make it into a group activity. A field-trip, even. Everybody loves ice-cream! Make it "Shikon Ice-Cream Day with Sesshoumaru-sensei!" or something! And..and…" _God, Buddha, someone - please stop my verbal diarrhea._

Sesshoumaru blinked and very slowly raised one hand to his lips, coughing, and Kagome had the ridiculous and mortifying notion that he was laughing at her. But when he took his hand away, the same blank expression remained.

"I will definitely think about it. The name could use some work, though." He said, and Kagome thought she heard an edge of playfulness in his voice. If it had been anyone else, Kagome would be sure he was teasing her. But this was Sesshoumaru, man with the world's best pocker-face. He wouldn't -

Suddenly Souta gasped, surprising both of the adults.

"Kagomenee-chan! You're bleeding!"

Kagome saw Souta's horrified face and followed his gaze downwards to her legs.

"Oh…"she said dumbly, looking down at her scraped knees. They were a bloody mess. It looked like she had not gotten away completely unscathed from her sprint to the daycare. Now that she wasn't fully concentrated on Sesshoumaru, she could actually feel the small injury throbbing.

"Your legs…" Sesshoumaru spoke in a hush.

"It's nothing!" Kagome waved her hand dismissively. "I tripped on the way here. I'll patch it up as soon as I get home-"

Sesshoumaru rose suddenly, frightening and silencing the young woman's rambling in an instant. He abruptly grabbed her by the arm, gently but forcibly, and pulled her towards one of the chairs near the chalkboard.

"Sit." He ordered with finality, cutting off any pathetic attempt Kagome might muster up to excuse herself. Instantly, Kagome sat, lips clamped shut like a scolded child. He nodded, seeming pleased at her obedience, and walked away. Beside her chair, Souta fussed nervously over his big sister. Sesshoumaru disappeared into one of the adjacent rooms and within seconds returned with a large white box. Kagome realized what he was planning.

"Sesshoumaru-sensei, really, you don't have to do this!" Kagome argued, blushing with embarrassment.

"Hn." He assented, pulling another chair and settling himself in front of the girl. "You are correct in that assessment. But I would not feel well allowing a young woman to leave my care under such conditions." He placed the first aid kit on one of the low tables where the kids sat at, and carefully began looking for something to clean her knees with.

"Besides, your brother told me you are a runner of sorts. Hurdles?" he questioned absently, taking out some cotton swabs and alcohol.

"Track-and-field." Kagome corrected shyly. "But-"

He made a sound with the back of his throat, cutting her off. "All the more reason to take care of your legs. They are indispensable to your athletic prowess." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and looked her straight in the eye. Kagome gulped at his proximity.

"If you are quite finished with your pitiful attempts of dissuading me from helping you, I would like to proceed with this." He sounded annoyed, but underneath Kagome could hear the thinly-veiled concern.

Kagome smiled weakly. "Can't argue with you, huh?"

"Your arguments, while endearing in their futileness, are no match to my superior dialectics."

She laughed, even though she was quite positive that he had given her a very backhanded compliment.

But he thought she was endearing…

"Souta-kun." Sesshoumaru's voice brought her back to the present, and she watched as the boy edged to his teacher's side, brow puckered with worry. "I shall take care of your sister now. In the meantime, you may pick out the book for tomorrow's story-time."

In an instant, all fears of 'booboos' vanished and Souta's eyes widened to the size of large saucers. "None of the other kids have ever picked out the book for story-time." The boy whispered in awe. "Sesshoumaru-sensei always does that."

"True." His teacher conceded. "But today, this Sesshoumaru-sensei is allowing _you_ to do it." Sesshoumaru leaned down, all business. "It shall be our secret, Souta-kun. I trust you can do this."

Souta nodded, a look of pure joy overcoming his features. His chest puffed up in pride at being trusted with such a glorious task. "I promise not to tell anyone! Be right back!" and he ran to the other side of the room where the small library was.

"You know he'll want to pick them out from now on, right?" Kagome said with a wry grin.

Sesshoumaru lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "The task should keep him occupied for a few minutes and no longer worrying needlessly over his older sister."

"Souta is such a worry-wart. So…thanks for that." She smiled at him gratefully. The teacher averted his eyes and simply nodded.

Sesshoumaru held a small wad of cotton and a bottle of alcohol in his hands. He looked up into her blue eyes, almost apologetic. "This might sting." He warned, inching his seat as close as possible till he was placed directly in front of the young woman. While sitting, Kagome's already precariously short green skirt had hitched up higher up her thighs and it would take minimal effort for one of those elegant hands to slip beneath and-

Kagome bit her lip, trying to think cold, cold thoughts. Instead, she focused on the pain.

It wasn't unbearable. Kagome could feel the skin of her knees stinging, the heavy aroma of the alcohol making her nose scrunch up in distaste. Very quickly, Sesshoumaru finished cleaning her knees and put the bloody swabs away. "Does it hurt? Feel any sprains? You were not limping when you came in…" he said, inspecting the clean skin with probing fingers.

Shaking her head, Kagome tried not to think of the long tapered fingers brushing against the sensitive skin on the back of her knee. Those large, masculine hands that spoke of hidden strength, despite the carefulness with which they cradled her leg, were everywhere, sending shocks of electricity all the way to her belly. Her mama had always been the one to take care of her cuts and bruises when she was younger. No one from the opposite sex had ever touched her legs this way. It felt strange and intimate, despite the almost detached medical precision that Sesshoumaru was doing it with. His palms were rough on her soft skin, and Kagome tried to push back the till-then unexplored side of her that wanted to grab his hands and bring them up, up, _up_ …

Kagome shook her head again, clearing the fog in her mind, and looked for a distraction. She should take advantage of his sudden outspokenness, not daydream. Sesshoumaru had taken out the roll of bandages and was pulling out long strips for both legs.

"So, you're pretty good at this. Fix up a lot of scraped knees, do you, Doctor?"

Kagome heard a curious low, rumbling sound coming from the man and with a squeeze of her chest realized he was chuckling. "I do not know about the doctor part. But working at a daycare center, it would be irresponsible not to know even the most basic of first aid." He explained matter-o-factly, attention fully focused to wrapping the bandage.

"That makes sense." Kagome responded distantly, hyper-focused on the long, slender fingers grabbing the back of her right calf and lifting her leg a bit higher to better access the knee. Her skirt inched further.

"Children are clumsy. I am used to caring for them in this manner." Sesshoumaru continued as he grabbed one of the longs strips and began wrapping it around her leg.

Kagome felt the sting of insult poke into her pride, _hard._ Suddenly all sexy thoughts abandoned her. So he lumped her in the same category as all the preschoolers he cared for?

There was a growing hotness behind her eyes and suddenly she felt so stupid. What the hell was she doing? She was just a high-school girl and he was an adult. Why would he ever think of her like a woman? She never stood a chance…

"Just taking care of another awkward kid, huh?" Kagome tried to keep the petulance out of her tone. She saw Sesshoumaru's eyebrows knit and he looked up into her eyes, a very odd expression on his face.

"No…" he said, his voice somber. His hands ceased their movements, and Kagome felt the slightest of pressures on the back of her knee where his fingers rested. His eyes were intense and Kagome could not look away, hypnotized.

"Kagome, I do not think of you as a child. _At all._ "

"Oh." Kagome breathed.

In all the weeks of her coming there that had been the first time he had ever called her name. At a loss, she looked down at her lap, praying he would not see the bright blush that was settling across her face like a heated wave. There seemed that neither had anything to say after that confession, and thus both remained quiet. She watched as his hands continued their movement and wrapped the bandage around her knees, tying a clever knot on each.

"There." Sesshoumaru murmured at last, lightly smoothing down the band over her knee with his hands. "It is finished."

"Thanks..." Kagome said, her voice small, her throat dry.

A tense silence followed. Kagome did not dare look up into his eyes, unsure of what she would find there and instead kept her gaze stubbornly on her lap.

His hands were still on her knees.

Kagome let out a shaky breath.

"Sensei-"

"Kagome-"

"Sesshoumaru, you absolute dog, what are you doing?!"

Both of them jumped, rattled, Kagome more so than Sesshoumaru (he was really good at controlling his facial expressions). Kagome's eyes searched for the source of the boisterous voice and landed on a man leaning on the doorway. He wore jeans and a tight navy sweater, with a gold chain around his neck. The man was quite handsome, around Sesshoumaru's age as well, and his hair was pulled back into a low, short ponytail, bangs brushing above intelligent grey eyes.

He was leering at them.

"Playing hanky-panky in a children's daycare. And with a high-schooler, no less!" He tutted, strutting over to the couple. "Such shameful behavior; I would never expect it from you."

"Of course you would not, Miroku, since hitting on women indiscriminately is more your style." Sesshoumaru hissed, removing his hands from Kagome and standing up. "This is the guardian of one of my wards, and I was providing auxiliary help-"

"You don't have to explain to me at all, Sesshomaru." Miroku said in his most theatrical, grave voice. "It is to Buddha to whom you must repent."

Sesshoumaru growled at him. Slamming the first-aid kit shut, he grabbed it and marched into the other room. The man turned to Kagome with a charming smile.

"Miroku, Sesshoumaru's best friend, roommate and ride home, at your service." He extended his hand outwards. Kagome took it, expecting him to shake it. Instead, he flipped her hand and kissed the top of it, causing a bright pink blush to appear. Miroku smiled again. "And who might you be, my fair lady?"

" _She_ is not interested. Stop hitting on the family of students, Miroku." Sesshoumaru snapped, coming back into the room. He was no longer wearing his teacher's apron, but instead a grey leather jacket and complimenting red scarf.

"I could offer the same advice to you, my friend." Miroku countered with a lecherous grin.

Sesshoumaru ignored him and walked towards Kagome. He held out his hand, which she took, and he pulled her gingerly to her feet. "Can you walk?"

Kagome nodded, head reeling.

She could still feel the warmth of his hands on her legs.

* * *

After separating the book Souta had chosen and closing the daycare, the group made their way outside and began the trek towards the sidewalk. Miroku was quick to sidle up next to the young woman, an action that caused Sesshoumaru's eyes to narrow dangerously. Miroku ignored him and offered Kagome a winning smile. _Quite the charmer, aren't you,_ Kagome thought amused.

"So let me guess. You're the famous Kagome, am I correct?"

Kagome stumbled, surprised. "Um, yes. Yes I am. But how-?"

"Call it intuition." He said with a wink. "Sesshoumaru mentioned a lovely high-schooler who comes to pick up one of his favorite students every week."

Kagome's chest constricted. "Sensei talks about me?"

"Only the one time." Kagome visibly deflated, and the man was quick to notice. He put an arm over her shoulder and with a conspiring gleam in his eyes, whispered in her ear. "If it is any comfort, Kagome-chan, he never speaks about anyone. Ever." He smiled at her awestruck look.

"What profanities are you telling her now, you perverted monk?" Sesshoumaru growled from very close. Miroku swiftly let go of the girl, hands in the air. defensively "Now, now, Sesshoumaru-kun, I was only asking if she had a friend."

Sesshoumaru threw another snide insult, which Miroku easily deflected, and soon both friends were bantering back and forth.

Kagome shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, already missing the warmth the monk had provided. Summer was ending. The evenings had been getting gradually colder, and although she had made sure Souta had been bundled up with gloves, scarf and a hat, she had forgotten her own at school. Sesshoumaru's sharp eyes noticed.

He grabbed her elbow, halting her. "What-" Kagome began, when suddenly she felt warmth settle around her shoulders and neck. She looked into bright yellow eyes as Sesshoumaru arranged his red scarf around her small frame.

"It would be quite problematic to catch a cold on top of injuring your legs." He explained.

Kagome was still trying to turn her face back to it's original color before red became her permanent hue. "But…don't you need it?"

"Fortunately for you, I am taking a ride with that idiot." He motioned with his head at said idiot, who was currently talking to her baby brother about the proper way of wooing ladies. "I will not have any need for a scarf inside a car."

"Oh…thank you." She replied dazedly. Sesshoumaru nodded, and walked towards his friend. Grabbing him by the collar, he began dragging him towards the car, saying something about corrupting the young with his mere presence.

Souta walked to his sister's side, and holding hands, both siblings watched the two odd grown-ups walk away.

"I'll send you back the scarf with Souta tomorrow!" Kagome called after him.

Without stopping, the young teacher replied, "You may hand it back to this Sesshoumaru next Wednesday..."he paused, a breath, "while we eat ice-cream." Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder, and Kagome could swear he was smirking.

Both men got into the car, Miroku waving an enthusiastic goodbye, and were soon speeding away.

Souta looked up at his sister, who was uncharacteristically quiet. The little five-year-old scrunched up his nose.

"Kagomenee-chan, are you sick? Your face is all red."

Kagome shook her head slowly, still amazed by the marathon of events since entering and leaving the daycare center. Her hand went to the red scarf, fingers fisting around the warm wool.

It smelled like him.

"I'm fine, Souta-kun." _More than fine_.

She looked down at her baby brother's concerned face, and smiled reassuringly. A thought then occurred to her, and feeling giddy and high, she said the one thing that could wipe away all sadness.

"So how about some ice-cream?"

* * *

 **Author's notes:** This bastard just refused to be written. I swear, I'll try to keep the next one shorter. This fic was 2,000 words longer, believe it or not. Sigh. Practice makes perfect.


	5. Subtle

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Modern AU)

 **Pairing:** SessKag

 **Genre:** Romance

 **Diclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters do not belong to me, but to the literary genius that is Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

 **Subtle**

There was something sweet between the teacher and student that during the three months of their acquaintance had bled into something else. Something that felt illicit and grown-up. It wasn't overtly obvious. But Kagome could feel it.

She felt it in the noise of a crowded classroom, where they dared not speak to each other for fear their trembling voices would be too loud.

She felt it in the air around them whenever they crossed paths on a busy hallway, or when she would have to stand up to hand in a test and he would be close, but not _close enough._

She felt it in the subtle brush of hands and the carefulness of stares.

* * *

A/N: Short drabble this time. One-word prompt suggested by a friend. I'm open to more suggestions from you guys! :) And also, would you prefer the posts be short like this 200 word drabble, "Math Romance"and "Pasion de Arraval"? Or short stories like "Tale as Old as Preschool"and "Teacher's Favorite"/"Student's Favorite"? Or a little mix of both? Let me know in the reviews!:)


	6. Take Down

**Universe:** Inuyasha

 **Pairing:** SessKag

 **Diclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters do not belong to me, but to the literary genius that is Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Author's notes** : Sorry for the lack of updates! Just recently moved from the Caribbean to New York so it has been a HECTIC week. Here's a short drabble to tide you over. Working on more stories for this collection, and those are 4k words long!;) So for now, this will do. If you guys have any prompts you would like me to write, I'm open to suggestions. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Take Down**

888

Sesshoumaru grunted as she deftly kicked out his legs from underneath him, her petite body navigating with acute precision between his much larger one. Her instructor crashed to the ground, but not before grabbing her by the arm and bringing her down with him.

Without missing a beat, she quickly scrambled from his grasp and rolled on top, claiming the upper hand. With surprising force, she placed her forearm against his neck, pinning him down, her other hand holding his right wrist tightly above his head. He was trapped.

"You lost, sensei." She said between breaths.

Kagome sat proudly on his chest, her hips flush against his own, her thighs straddling his rib-cage. She was so close they were sharing the same air. Sesshoumaru raised the corner of his lip, revealing a fang.

"And yet I am still winning."

* * *

Author's notes: So, how about that sexual tension, eh? I really liked this theme for teacher-student so a little hint: the next story is based on this scene! Stay tuned!


	7. Pupil of my Eye

**Universe:** Inuyasha Modern AU

 **Pairing:** None

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and it's characters are the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

 **Pupil Of My Eye**

888

For a boy his age, Sesshoumaru was uncharacteristically quiet.

Kagome had tutored many shy and introverted children, but this went beyond the usual quiet kid. Sesshoumaru wasn't simply silent; he _was_ silence. Kagome could almost say it had become his nature and he had embraced it. It made her job as his tutor all the more difficult and intriguing.

It would be unfair to say that Sesshoumaru refused to speak or that he was incapable of speech. The young boy simply did not start conversations. He did not seek out communication with the outside world like Kagome did and, left to his own devices, any response that could not be meted out in lazy gestures would be given in short, economical sentences that blackballed further interlude. He was never downright rude, despite his obvious dislike of speech whenever he was forced to resort to talking. He just rather not waste his breath unnecessarily.

In brief, Sesshoumaru was not a _people_ person, Kagome decided with a mental nod.

So one day, when she was in the middle of revising a particularly hard math equation with the middle-school boy, she tried to get him out of his shell.

"Were you always this quiet, Sesshoumaru-kun?"

Sesshoumaru stopped mid-scribble, pencil hovering over his notebook. Deep pools of gold looked up at the curious girl sitting beside him, not many years older than himself.

"How exactly does this pertain to the exercise…Sensei?" he added the honorific at the end almost forcibly. In truth, Sesshoumaru had not been thrilled when his father had assigned him a tutor, especially one as young as Kagome. He had thought very highly of himself for most of his young life, and the fact that his father had deemed his grades in math below his expectations had been a fatal blow to his very fragile ego. He wasn't by far the only child in his class with a tutor, but Sesshoumaru had prided himself in being self-sufficient and near-genius. So when his father had opened the door to his room and presented a beaming high-school girl with a dangerously short sailor-suit, Sesshoumaru could only gape in disbelief.

It didn't help that the girl babbled endlessly about every single thought that seemed to pop into her head. Sesshoumaru was by no means discrediting her knowledge. He was loathe to admit that she was quite good at math and had thus far been the best tutor he had since his father began assigning them to him. At the very least, she didn't run away in tears like the last three had, so he had to give her that. He scowled remembering the sniveling creatures that had attempted to tutor the great Sesshoumaru.

Kagome sighed dramatically, pulling him out of his thoughts, her body leaning back against the chair until it creaked dangerously. She didn't seem to mind. "Well, I've been tutoring you for the past month and I can count the amount of times we've had a real conversation on ONE hand! You know, I _am_ your tutor but I can also be your friend." She smiled brightly at him, dimples showing. The white-haired youth ignored the way his heart squeezed.

"My father is paying you to teach me math, Sensei, not to entertain me."

She leaned in very close, and suddenly Sesshoumaru's very sensitive nose was bombarded with the smell of sunflowers and oranges and other wonderful things he could not name, nor dare he.

"It'll be our secret." She smiled conspiratorially.

"Mother hates when I keep secrets from her." Sesshoumaru murmured, recalling a time when he had hid the truth from his mother. She had repaid him for the deceit tenfold, he could tell you that.

"That can be our secret too." She winked. Then leaning back again, much to Sesshoumaru's relief and disappointment, she went back to her question. "So were you always this quiet?"

The young boy looked down at the paper, not really seeing the math problems there, instead mulling the question over in his mind.

"My father…"he began slowly."…taught me when to speak and when not to speak. You have met the Lord of the West; he is not a man you 'talk back to' or question, regardless if you do not agree with him." He wondered whether he should mention that refusing to follow with such rules led to very painful lessons, but he decided he did not want the girl to pity him.

Too late though, because when Sesshoumaru looked up, he saw sympathy shining bright in the young woman's eyes. "I guess you were a quiet kid, then." She spoke, soft and gentle.

"No." Sesshoumaru countered defiantly, surprising Kagome as she saw the barest hint of a smirk adorning her young pupil's face. "I wasn't."

* * *

A/N:

Don't hate me. I really do mean to upload a long story soon, but it has been super crazy lately. Moving from one country to another is a lot harder and complex than I had anticipated. But to give you guys a prize, here's a little drabble I had hanging around. Middle-school Sesshoumaru is such a cute thought that I just can't. And no, you guys, this won't turn into some weird romantic thing. He's a KID.


	8. Extra Credit

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Modern AU)

 **Pairing:** Highschool!Sess x TA!Kagome

 **Genre:** Smut (Still PG13 though)

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and it's characters are the intellectual property of one genius Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Author's Notes:** Something a little bit more...risque? Enjoy. (Heads up: New storyline from all the others. Get enough reviews and might do a continuation.)

* * *

 **Extra Credit**

888

He was always looking at her.

Teacher Assistant Kagome Higurashi tried to ignore the heated stare as she finished handing out the graded take-home tests to the rest of the high-school students. The raven-haired girl understood why that particular student was glaring at her; Kagome would be upset too if she got a grade like his on her homework.

Kagome continued ignoring his sharp yellow eyes as she walked over to the front of the classroom, standing dutifully next to the teacher.

Professor Totosai, an eccentric old man well past his teaching prime, seeming pleased at Kagome's swift work, dismissed the class even though there were still a good 15 minutes left on the clock. He claimed some gibberish about having to feed his pet ox and with that, gathered his belongings and left the classroom. Kagome sighed as she was left once again with the duty of having to clean up after him and leave the classroom prepared for tomorrow's next lecture.

The 21-year-old Teacher Assistant began the arduous process of organizing the mess of papers left on the old man's desk. She had chosen to be Totosai's T.A. (Teacher Assitant) due to her beloved mentor's insistence. Kaede, a stern old woman that had the innate ability of making everyone around her feel supremely inadequate, had been Kagome's mentor throughout her college career. The elder woman had sworn that, despite Totosai's slight quirks, Kagome had much to learn from him if she wanted to be a high-school teacher in the future.

But the raven had yet to absorb anything of value under the old man's supervision. Totosai was impossibly stubborn and would often pretend to have dementia whenever someone called him out on his bullshit, just to get out of the argument. His methods of teaching were practically ancient too. The classroom had a projector and a computer but Totosai refused to use them, claiming that the government could read his brain through the machines and that he much rather give his History lectures the old-fashioned-way, thank you very _much_.

In the end, more than a T.A. she was treated as Totosai's glorified assistant, reduced to such lame duties like opening his mail, taking notes during class and cleaning up after the old man. Most times when he was feeling particularly lazy he would dump all of his classwork to be graded off by Kagome, although she didn't mind this part so much since she at least got to do something half-way pertinent to her responsibilities as a T.A.

As the last student filed out, sending a cheerful farewell to Kagome which she returned amiably, Kagome stretched with a groan, popping some of the bones in her back. It had been a long class, and Kagome was loathe to admit she almost fell asleep a couple of times. Trying to push the bleariness away, she opened her eyes ready to start the clean-up, and froze.

There, standing in the front row with an indescribable look in his eyes, was that student. The one whose eyes always followed her.

And he was still staring at her, his yellow eyes tugging at Kagome's lower abdomen –

 _Too young!_

Kagome put a delicate hand over her heart, trying her best to calm her nerves. "Ah, Taisho-kun, you scared me. I thought everyone had left."

The white-haired student tilted his head to the side. On anybody else, the act that would have been endearing, but on the sharp-eyed youth it looked calculating, like he was picking Kagome's brain apart.

Sesshoumaru Taisho was a student in Totosai's class and an enigma of a person.

Their first encounter had been near the classroom entrance, where Kagome had accidently bumped into him at the doorway in her haste to not be late on her first day of school. As she was apt to do, Kagome rambled an awkward apology, but her words died in her mouth as she looked up at the victim of her clumsiness. Kagome would be lying if she said she had not gasped out loud.

Tall, strapping and impossibly beautiful, Kagome had stood gaping up at his questioning angel face, until he raised one perfectly arched eyebrow, the barest hint of a smirk curling the edge of plush, kissable lips. Then Kagome heard the snickering behind of some students, noticing her gawking. Blushing a bright red, she excused herself and slid past him into the room, careful not to touch him. She had felt his eyes on her as she ran away and hid behind Totosai during the entirety of the class.

And she had felt his gaze on her ever since.

Kagome turned her back to him, avoiding those hypnotizing eyes, and tried to busy herself by cleaning up Totosai's desk. "Is there anything I can help you with, Taisho-kun?"

Silence, and then she heard the softest of sounds, like a chuckle. Kagome turned back to face him, and saw Sesshoumaru, hand fisted over his mouth, and she had the distinct impression that he was laughing at _her._ Yellow eyes glinted mischievously from under white bangs.

"I can think of a couple of things you may assist me with…Kagome- _sensei._ " He all but purred, his deep baritone voice clashing with his delicate features. How was it that he was more beautiful than all the girls in this school and yet so manly at the same time? 'He's a child, Kagome', she reminded herself sternly, 'children _cannot_ be manly.'

Sesshoumaru took a step forward, lowering his hand. "But I was actually hoping that I could be able to help _you."_

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed in disapproval, even as a sly blush crept up her neck. He was still walking towards her, closing the distance between them. "Taisho-kun, what do you mean?"

"We both know that I am smarter than all the other students in this class. I daresay, than even some, if not most, of the teachers in this school." His eyes were locked with hers, intense, penetrating. "I cannot allow one measly essay graded by an old coot to affect my GPA."

Kagome laughed, amused by his arrogance. "Well, perhaps if you had actually put more effort into it, Taisho-kun, I would have given you a better grade."

He stopped, just as Kagome knew he would. His eyes became wide, and then narrowed dangerously. " _You_ were the one who graded me?" Sesshoumaru asked in a hushed tone. Kagome felt something tickle in her belly, oddly gratified that she had taken the ever-serious boy by surprise.

"Yep." Kagome admitted cheerfully, turning back to the desk and putting a box of paperclips and the stapler back into their drawers. She could sense his confusion coming off of him in waves. For someone who had as many expressions as Kagome could count in one hand, he was endearingly easy to read. She didn't know why, but he telegraphed his feelings so loudly she could somehow feel them, like an aura. Or perhaps she had spent too much time studying him in class to know his moods and behaviors so well. Much more, perhaps, than a T.A. should know of any of her students.

"But then why…?" he trailed off.

Kagome looked up at him, arching an eyebrow herself, copying his favorite move. Sighing, she walked around the desk and sat at the edge, crossing her arms and pinning him down with a stern look.

"Taisho-kun, I know you're a smart kid. Smarter than your classmates and, between you and me, definitely a lot smarter than most of the staff here in this tiny-ass school." He quirked an eyebrow at her crude words, but she recognized the non-expression as amusement.

"Truthfully, your essay was the best of the bunch." Kagome confessed, shaking her head with a smile as she remembered how adult-like his insights into the project had been. "But!" she continued, "it's not enough for you to get by with _average_ work when I know you can put more effort into these assignments. Prove to me that you really are as intelligent as you say you are, and give me something that will 'wow' me."

Sesshoumaru blinked at the older woman, as if trying to grasp what she was saying. He tilted his head to the side, and dammit if he didn't look all cute and confused. "So you gave me a failing grade…on _acceptable_ work…because I was good but not good enough?"

"I gave you a failing grade because you are worth more than what you handed in."

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips, and Kagome thought he was hiding a grin. "Kagome-sensei, while it pleases me to know you hold me in such high-esteem, I cannot bring such a grade into my household. My father…" he let out a breath, as if conflicted, although Kagome had the distinct impression that it was an act. "…he would simply not tolerate it."

"He'll get over it." Kagome declared, waving away his worries with a hand and jumping from the desk to her feet.

"He won't." Sesshoumaru assured her, emphatically.

"You're not the first kid to get a bad grade, Taisho-kun. Better luck next time." Kagome went back to clearing the desk, already dismissing the beautiful boy. Behind her, Sesshoumaru fell into silence. Until…

"You do not understand." He said, this time more forcibly, and Kagome looked up surprised at his change of tone. He seemed tense, a tendon jumping out in his neck. Kagome's eyes followed the muscle under perfectly clear skin, to where it hid bellow the collar of his schoolboy uniform. Her eyes shot back, locked into his, yellow and intese and so so beautiful-

"My father expects nothing else but excellence from his offspring. If I were to present him with this, it would be a dishonor." Sesshoumaru reasoned, and once again, he began to edge toward the woman. "Please, Kagome-sensei, will you not allow me to do some… _extra-credit_ for this?"

Kagome edged around the desk, trying to get behind it. She didn't think she liked the twinkle in his eye, and suddenly she realized how quiet the school was. 'We must be the last ones left…'

"Umm." Kagome began, licking her lips and ignoring how his eyes followed the movement feverishly. "I-I don't think Totosai allows extra-credit in his class."

"Oh…"he breathed softly, and he was already at the desk, even as Kagome desperately attempted to get behind the piece of furniture. "Well…"he continued softly, his long tapered fingers caressing the edge of the wood, subtly chasing after Kagome's fluttering hand as it skirted across the desk and away from his. "I was hoping you and I could reach some sort of…agreement."

"Agreement?" Kagome repeated uncomfortably, the edge of a squeak in her voice.

"Yes." He said, and Kagome's heart skipped a beat as she saw a full-fledged smile bloom on his lips. "One that would benefit both of us."

"Taisho-kun, I…"Kagome swallowed as he rounded the desk, still moving ever so slowly towards her; like a predator stalking it's prey. Kagome was being ridiculous but she was possessed with the strong urge to leave the classroom, because being here, alone, with _him,_ suddenly didn't feel right at all. She cleared her throat.

"I'm not sure about the extra credit but, um, if it really is so important to your father I could, uh…I could give you another chance, okay?" she tried to smile reassuringly, still inching backwards. "I'm just a T.A. so I'm really not supposed to do this, but it really would be a shame if your GPA fell down because of a silly essay." She laughed, a tinge of hysteria in her voice, as he was barely two feet away from her and moving closer. "I'll let you have a do-over. But you can't tell anyone, all right? Our little secret."

Sesshoumaru finally stopped, so close she had to tilt her head backwards to look up. Kagome's heart pitter-pattered as the white-haired youth loomed over her. Even at seventeen years of age, the boy was already much taller than the petite brunette, his figure massive as it blocked out all the light from the windows and cast her in shadow.

Sesshoumaru seemed to mull this proposal over, then shook his head. His smile was still in place.

"I was hoping for another sort of agreement, _sensei._ " He whispered, his hand moving upward to push a strand of hair behind Kagome's ear. She flinched at his touch- his skin was too hot- "It could definitely be our little secret, too."

"Wha-?"

Kagome continued edging backwards until her back hit the chalkboard. When Sesshoumaru placed large and powerful hands on her hips, bringing her pelvis to his own with deliberate intent, she gasped. All the air in her lungs left as Sesshoumaru pressed his hip into her, and she could feel something poke rather prominently into her abdomen.

"Would _this_ count as extra-credit, _sensei?_ "

* * *

Aaaaand...scene. Haha I feel so evil for ending it there, but I'm tired and I lost steam to finish with this half-way down the road. Interested on me continuing to torture poor Kagome with jailbait? Comment, Review and Rate please!


	9. Musical Chairs

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Modern AU)

 **Pairing:** SessKag (One-sided), slight InuKag

 **Genre:** Romance/Heartbreak

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha is the intellectual property of one genius Rumiko Takahashi. I just make bad fanfic out of it.

 **Author's notes:** Ok, so this one is a bit cheating since neither Kag or Sess are teachers here, but there's still a student-teacher relationship in there. Sort of. If you squint. And It just wouldn't leave me alone so I had to post this somewhere. It's not like the other fics, but I still hope you enjoy. And I apologize if Sess is super OOC in here, but I figure than in an alternate reality where Sess grows up with a functional family, he might be a decent guy. Still bossy though. Enjoy!

* * *

 **"It is a risk to love.**

 **What if it doesn't work out?**

 **Ah, but what if it does?"**

 **Peter McWilliams**

He had given Kagome her very first instrument.

Holding hands with her childhood friend Inuyasha, eight-year-old Kagome watched as man after man failed to sling the hoops into the mouths of the bottles, and she could tell by the smug look of the booth owner that the game was as rigged as all the other stands at the Festival. Kagome looked past the top prize, a giant stuffed dog, right over to the lone yellow flute set dustily in the corner. It wasn't anything particularly special, but the bright electric yellow had caught her eye almost immediately. She had never wanted something more in her life.

But even at the tender age of eight, she knew these games were hopeless to win. The little girl let out a sigh, a little less bright-eyed, and tugged on the youth's hand so they could continue walking around the fair.

 _He_ had noticed her longing look though.

"Is that what you want, Kagome-chan?" Sesshoumaru asked her as he pointed to the object of her affection. As the eldest Taisho sibling, he had been appointed the duty of caring for the two youngsters while they enjoyed the festivities together. And while Kagome and Inuyasha were decked out in their best yukatas, Sesshoumaru had opted to wear torn black jeans and a white t-shirt that showed off his brand new forearm tattoos. Pink stripes would've have looked silly on anybody else, but on the 16-year-old, they were oddly perfect. Izayoi had freaked when the teenager had arrived to the house with them. Kagome thought they were cool and grown-up.

Sesshoumaru was looking intently at the little girl, expressionless. Kagome blushed at the gaffe of having been caught staring at the prize– her mother had taught her that it was bad manners to ask for material things, especially when they could spend money on more practical necessities like food and clothes. After her father's death…let's just say that toys were on the bottom of the list of priorities for the little girl who had grown up too quickly.

"No, it's fine Sesshoumaru-kun, let's go." Kagome reassured him shyly.

The words had barely left her lips when the older boy turned and walked over to the booth.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other, she anxious and he confused, and both ran after the elder of the trio.

"One round." They heard Sesshoumaru command in a bored tone, as he handed over the coins carelessly. The man at the booth pursed his lips at Sesshoumaru's haughtiness, but refrained from commenting and merely tossed the rings to the white-haired teen.

"Good luck." The greasy-looking man grunted, a lop-sided smile on his face as he watched Sesshoumaru position himself. "This game's a liiiitle tricky."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the man, and then lifted one side of his lip in a sneer.

Kagome watched, fascinated, as ring after ring fell into the bottles. Sesshoumaru didn't miss a single one, his accuracy frightening. The man at the booth was outraged. Nobody had ever been able to win at this game; he had made sure of it. The strange youth with the white hair must've been cheating! But to out the boy would mean to out himself and so, furious, he began unhooking the giant stuffed dog from the roof of the booth.

"Not that one." Sesshoumaru interrupted sharply. His yellow eyes pointed directly at the lone toy in the corner.

The man looked to the toy then back to the boy dubiously. "You sure, kid?"

"The flute, if you may." Sesshoumaru insisted with the authority of someone many years older, and the man shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever you say. Crazy kids…" he whispered the last part under his breath before schlepping over to the toy flute and bringing it back to the front.

The man dropped the flute into Sesshoumaru's upturned palm. Without a single glance back or a word of thanks, Sesshoumaru turned and guided his two wards away from the booth, where more people swarmed to win a price, emboldened by Sesshoumaru's triumphant victory.

"Here." Sesshoumaru said, offering the coveted prize to the little girl by his side.

Kagome bit her lips, embarrassed beyond belief, and stared at her toes so he wouldn't see her blush. "Sesshoumaru-kun, you didn't have to do that…"

She heard chuckling and looked up just in time to see a rare smile on the teen's face. "I know. But it pleased me to do so." Sesshoumaru kneeled down before her, so they could be eye-to-eye, and leveled a steady stare at the young girl. Kagome's heart squeezed when he pushed her bangs away in a brotherly show of affection.

"Never be afraid to go after what you really want, Kagome-chan." He said gently, before placing the yellow instrument in her hands and closing her hands around it with his own. Kagome nodded dumbly, afraid to actually speak lest she say something stupid.

At that precise moment, Inuyasha started harping on about being hungry, effectively ruining the mood. Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, and standing up thumped his little brother on the head for 'being a pain'. She watched as their bickering soon turned physical, as it always did when they were together for more than five minutes. But despite claiming that he should 'leave him to starve for being such a pest', Kagome could see Sesshoumaru rummaging in his pockets to see how much money they had left for a quick food run, and she smiled.

"Kagome-chan, do you want something too?" Sesshoumaru asked over his shoulder as he beckoned her to one of the nearby food stands.

Yes. She wanted something. More than food or pretty yukatas or yellow flutes won at a festival.

She wanted Sesshoumaru.

* * *

Kagome cried in triumph as she finally found what she had been searching for.

She closed the leather trunk she had been rummaging in for the past half hour and sat back on her heels. Breathlessly, she examined the object fondly.

Weathered with age and misuse, the plastic flute lay small and fragile in her hands. With a quiet laugh, Kagome remembered driving her mother crazy, playing the drat thing day in and day out, completely consumed with perfecting each and every note.

The raven-haired teen smiled at the memory of that festival night. Truthfully, Kagome had never been a lover of music. The only reason she had even noticed that toy that night had been because the flute was the exact same color as Sesshoumaru's eyes. And then, the only reason why she had bothered to learn to play it was because Sesshoumaru was in a band and she desperately wanted to impress him with her musical prowess. Although looking back on it, perhaps serenating him with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" might not have been the most romantic thing.

It's funny how love can be fuel for determination. At eight years old, Kagome was sure the way to Sesshoumaru's heart was through music. She had begged her mother to put her in music lessons. Kagome had used the Taisho siblings as an excuse; they both were taking guitar lessons at a small musical school, and this way she would be able to see more of her best friend Inuyasha. And although money was tight, Kagome's insistence had been so great that eventually her mother had caved and she registered her to take some flute lessons, at the exchange that Kagome do all the housework during the weekend and manage to keep her grades at school.

Now, seven years later, Kagome had blossomed into quite a talented flute player. At the age of fourteen, she was already participating in school concerts and had been offered scholarships to renowned musical colleges. What had started out as a whim had grown inside the young girl. She truly loved music and the thrill of playing before an audience. Quite by accident, she had found her calling and it was all thanks to her childhood crush on Sesshoumaru.

Kagome traced the yellow flute on her hands, a pink blush dusting her cheeks.

Well, perhaps _not-so-childhood_ crush.

Inuyasha, who had been playing video games in the room while she searched for the toy flute, stared at her back, his lips pursed in worry and anger.

"My brother will break your heart." He promised, though there lay no malice or threat in his voice, only pity.

Kagome frowned, pulled away from her fantasies, and glowered at the boy. He merely shrugged and turned back to his video game.

Inuyasha had been Kagome's best friend for years, and although sometimes he was crass and much too frank for his own good, he had always been good at reading people. It gave him a rare but precious talent of knowing how a situation would go down even before it happened. That excellent nose for character analysis was what had saved Kagome from following a stranger in the park once when they were little, and from believing their classmate Akiko when she said she had not been spreading nasty rumors about them in middle school. It really helped her out most of the time and he was seldom wrong. But in this situation, she did not appreciate his insight.

Inuyasha was sure that her relationship with his older brother Sesshoumaru was doomed to failure, and Kagome hated him for it.

They were best friends, after all. The least he could do was show _some_ support. When Kagome married Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and her wouldn't just be best friends – they'd be family!

"You can't be sure of that, Inuyasha."

"Of course I can. You're a flat-chested kid and he's a grown-ass man." He countered, cursing as he missed hitting one of soldiers from the opposing team. "It's not going to work out."

Inuyasha squawked as he was hit solidly on the back of his head with a flying pillow.

"But what if it does!?" Kagome shouted, anger turning her ears pink.

"Fine! Risk it for the bastard, see if I care. God, girls are crazy." He whispered the last part as he rubbed the back of his head, focusing on his video game once more.

Kagome frowned at his back, sticking her tongue out at him. She'd show him. Sesshoumaru had always paid special attention to her. She would be sure to win his heart and, when she was old enough, marry him.

Next week Kagome would be turning fifteen. As was customary, Sesshoumaru always took her and Inuyasha out for ice-cream on her birthday. So after class, before going out to eat, she would present him with the flute, as proof of her unwavering love for him, confess and begin what was sure to be an epic romance with the man of her dreams.

It would be perfect.

* * *

"That's a beautiful necklace! Where did you buy it? Can I try it?"

"Kagome-chan, please, focus on learning this piece for next week's concert-"

"We've been playing the same note for hours and I'm _bored_! Can we please take a break?"

"We really shouldn't. You're good but we have to practice-"

 _Oh, no…_ the music teacher groaned inwardly. _PUPPY EYES._

 _GODDAMMIT_ , Kagura cursed in her head as Kagome stared intensely at her with impossibly big eyes and a quivering lip. This is why the woman hated children; they always played dirty.

"Very well." Kagura agreed grudgingly. "But only fifteen minutes-"

"Yes! Now let me see that necklace, Kagura-sensei!"

Kagura sighed. She had been Kagome's music teacher for the past year and while she liked the girl, Kagome could sometimes be a handful (she blamed Inuyasha's influence for that). The older woman really didn't want to do it, but in lieu of having some well-deserved peace, she unhooked the latch that touched the base of her neck and removed her necklace. Kagome swiped it from her hands before she could even give it to her.

"It's beautiful!" the fourteen-year-old gushed, watching as the light caught the red gem, turning it's insides into a fiery inferno. The deep red of the rock complimented Kagura's equally dark eyes, that were so brown they sometimes bled into the color of summer wine when the light hit them just so.

"Ne, Kagura-sensei, this must've cost a fortune!"

The woman exhaled, breathing patiently. "I wouldn't know, Kagome-chan, it was a gift."

"A gift!?" the girl gushed. Kagome had seen enough commercials on TV to know that only men gave women expensive necklaces as gifts. And being fourteen, Kagome thought it terribly romantic. "Hyaaaa, somebody must really like you!"

At this, Kagome thought she saw the slightest of blushes on her flute teacher. "I suppose-"

"What's his name?"

"Ummm-" Kagura hesitated, uncharacteristically slow with a quip.

"Is he tall? Handsome? Rich?"

"He-"

"Can I meet him?"

"That's enough interrogation, little one."

Both females turned at the entering voice. Sesshoumaru stood on the doorway, amusement arching one elegant brow, lip twitching as it valiantly fought a smile at Kagome's antics. As soon as Kagome saw him her face visibly brightened. Kagura sighed in relief.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome shouted gleefully, the necklace and Kagura's secret admirer immediately forgotten.

Sesshoumaru had grown up quite a lot from the rebellious teenager with the torn pants and rocks-star vibe those many years ago. A strapping young man of twenty-two, he had abandoned rock-band tees for button-up shirts and ties, his uniform as he interned in his father's business company. But the rebel still lived inside, evidenced by the sleeves of his shirt being pulled back to show-off those iconinc pink stripes.

Kagome ran up to the man, all wide smiles and dimples. "You're early!" she stated surprised, butterflies in her stomach. How was it that, even after so many years, he still managed to make her all mushy inside?

Sesshoumaru snorted softly. "This Sesshoumaru is never early. Everyone else is merely late." He quipped, and Kagome laughed girlishly, even though she didn't really get it. He placed a fond hand on her head, and that quickly caught her attention as he knew it would. She looked up into deep amber eyes, mesmerized.

"I know I promised to have ice-cream with you, but before that I must have a word with your teacher about Inuyasha." he explained to an attentive Kagome. "In the meantime, could you please tell my useless brother to pack his things? I should be done in fifteen minutes or so. You both can wait for me outside."

Kagome nodded quickly, eager to obey. "Of course, Sesshoumaru! Take as long as you need, I understand."

Sesshoumaru's lip lifted in the faintest of rare smiles, and he tucked a hair behind her ear. "You're so sweet and mature, Kagome-chan. You will surely make a man very happy someday."

She blushed, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering so hard there was surely a hurricane in there by now. _Yes, I will make you very happy, indeed!_ She thought fuzzily.

Kagome basically floated away from the classroom as she hurried to do as her beloved asked.

Sesshoumaru stared after her, eyes following well after she left through the door. When he was sure she was far away, his smile dropped. Feet padding noiselessly in the large classroom, Sesshoumaru reached the door and closed it with a resounding click. He turned to the till then silent women in the room, expression vastly changed. There was no trace of the sweetness he had exhibited with Kagome, but his eyes glinted in a way that tugged deep at the music teacher's core.

Kagura gulped as yellow predatory eyes locked with hers. "Taisho-san…" She tried pleasantly, her voice quivering with anticipation.

"Yes?" he murmured, and she felt the deep timber of his voice reverberate inside her brain.

"You wanted to speak with me?" she asked.

Her heart beat fast as one corner of his lip lifted to reveal a fanged smile.

"Let us talk then… _sensei_."

* * *

"Will you relax? He's only been gone for five minutes. Probably talking shit about me with that Wind-witch." Inuyasha grumbled, addressing Kagura with his second-favorite nickname (the first being "Bitch").

Kagome tapped her foot, fingers twitching against her crossed arms as she waited on the curb with Inuyasha. She gave a side-long glare at her friend and rolled her eyes in frustration. Inuyasha just didn't get it. Today was the day! She was dying with the need to confess, and if she didn't do it now she was sure to back out. She had waited long enough, seven years to be exact, and she didn't want to wait any longer.

She uncrossed her fingers and began rummaging in her backpack. Inuyasha stared with disinterest, until she pulled out the yellow flute. "Eh? Why did you bring that ratty old-"

"I'll be right back!" she cut him off, not wanting him to tease her for what she was about to do. With nerves tingling all around her limbs, she got up and ran back inside the school, Inuyasha calling after her.

Kagome ran down the hallways. Every now and then she'd speed by an open door, momentarily catching some random note of music or sound but she didn't really hear anything. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heart, blood rushing through her ears, vibrating in her skull.

Her hand fisted around the toy instrument, nerves finally catching up to her. She knew Inuyasha was right – it was risky what she was about to do. Kagome hadn't had a very extraordinary life full of dangers or action, but she was sure that professing one's love to another person was the scariest thing one could do. What if it doesn't work out?

But…

…what if it _does?_

Gulping air, he slowed to a trot a few feet away from the classroom door, catching her breath. Hastily she attempted to tame the wild mane with her hands, fingers trying in vain to flatten her flyaways. Hands behind her back hiding her treasured toy, she plastered a sunny smile on her face and began walking towards the doorway. She was about to open the door when she heard a squeak. It sounded like her teacher… Quick, agitated murmuring followed the noise, and then Sesshoumaru's deep voice. It was all muffled though, so Kagome couldn't make out what they were talking about.

Kagome frowned then. While it was true that Inuyasha also took music lessons with Kagura, he wasn't doing particularly bad in her class. He was actually acing it (thanks in great part to Kagome's help). What could they possibly be talking about?

Kagome bit her lip. She knew eavesdropping was a nasty habit, but if they were talking about her friend and future brother-in-law, she was entitled to know what it was about. Carefully, she inched the knob until it gave and the door opened noiselessly. With bated breath, she glimpsed inside.

At first, she didn't see them. She realized that with the limited vision she had through the small opening, they were out of view shot. Kagome strained her ear. She could make out hints of words and sentences, but they were speaking too low. Why were they whispering? Kagome dared to open the door a bit more, almost poking her head inside. And then she saw them.

"You're a very talented flute player…but I know something else you could blow…"

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagura hissed scandalized, but her bright red lips were pulled back into a smile. "You're incorrigible, you naughty boy."

"Then punish me, _sensei_." Sesshoumaru murmured darkly into her neck. Kagura leaned back into the desk, her body trapped underneath his masculine frame. Kagome watched, transfixed, as his hands explored the curves of her body. Even in her wildest dreams, her most erotic fantasies, Kagome's inexperienced imagination had never come up with this.

Sesshoumaru left quick little bite marks on Kagura's neck, his expression hungry as he devoured all that Kagura offered plaintively. He got to her collarbone, pulled back the neck of her button up shirt, licking the delicate bone roughly. "Where is the necklace I gave you?" he whispered hoarsely.

Kagura was panting, her red nails digging into his biceps. "Your little ward wanted to see it, so I took it off."

"Hn." He grunted, and gripped her ass cheek hard until she squeaked. "I do not remember giving you permission to do so." Sesshoumaru continued his way down her chest, leaving hot fluttery kisses as he did, until his face hovered tentatively over her breast. "You are mine, Kagura. Understand?"

Kagura gasped as his mouth enveloped one clothed nipple, and she squirmed under him.

"Yes!" she gasped. "Yes, Sesshoumaru. Ah, maybe we should stop. What if-" Kagura looked up at the door and stopped talking.

Her eyes met Kagome's, and she gasped.

Sensing something was wrong, Sesshoumaru pulled away. He saw the thunderstruck expression on his lover's face and followed her gaze.

The door was open, but there was nobody there.

* * *

"Well, that was quick!" Inuyasha said over his shoulder as he heard Kagome's familiar gait walk up behind him. He had grown bored during his wait and was currently catching Pokemon on his phone.

"Did you get rejected by that loser like I said you would?" he cackled, then let out a triumphant whoop as he caught a level 25 Vaporeon. Grinning toothily, the silver-haired youth looked behind to celebrate with his friend, but the words died in his throat.

Inuyasha quickly stood up, growling. "That asshole!" he growled ferociously, moving closer to Kagome. Fat tears were streaming silently down her face, staining her pink cheeks with black little trails of mascara. "What did he say?! I swear, if he did anything moronic to hurt you, I'll kill him." He shouted, enveloping the raven in a fierce hug.

Kagome couldn't find her voice. Her throat was clogged with sobs, and if she opened her mouth she was afraid of what terrible sounds would come out. So silently, she cried and held on to Inuyasha as the boy continued cursing and asking her questions, all the while rubbing her back in anxious little circles.

Yes, Sesshoumaru had been the precursor to many firsts in Kagome's life.

He had given Kagome her very first instrument.

He had given her the wonderful feeling of love.

And now, he had given her heartbreak.

* * *

AN: Because not all love stories end in Happily-Ever-Afters.

So I know a lot of you are looking forward to more MiddleSchool!Sess x Highschool!Kag stories. Worry not! Those are being worked on as we speak. I still have a few ideas for those two. In the mean time though, I'll be busting out a couple of other dust bunnies that have been taking up space in my computer. Heck, with school finally over, I might even update "And They Call It Puppy Love" and "Moonlight Shadow"! (no promises though; having major writer's block with those two). Stay tuned, as always R+R and thank you so much for your support! Your comments make me super happy.

Special shout out to **"MirrorFlower and DarkWind"** and **"KEdakumi"** for always reviewing! You guys are the best.


	10. White Belt, Black Belt

**Universe:** Inuyasha (Modern AU)

 **Pairing:** InuKikyo, SessKag(?)

 **Genre:** Comedy, Family, Fluff

 **Diclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters do not belong to me, but to the literary genius that is Rumiko Takahashi.

 **Author's notes** : So a lot of people were asking me to finish the last prompt of "Musical Chairs" (with FlutePlayer!Kagome x Older!Sesshoumaru), and I know you guys were probably looking forward to that. Not to mention the ones I owe for "Pupil of My Eye"(MiddleSchool!Sess x Tutor!Kagome) and "Extra Credit"(HighschoolTramp!Sess x TA!Kagome). Worry not, I am working on short continuations for both (namely Pupil of My Eye) and hope to post those soon. I recently started my semester though, so don't hold your breath.

Anywho, this one is rather long and features a character that seldom gets love in the fandom. I'm not a huge Kikyo fan either, but I can appreciate that , if none of the jewel stuff had ever happened, she might;ve been an actual decent human being. Maybe even nicer than Kagome. So here's me adding some love to an underappreciated character, since she always gets featured as such a massive bitch in fics. I hipe you enjoy!

* * *

 **White belt in Karate, Black belt in bed...**

888

"So let me get this straight. You want me to meet new people…by learning how to _beat them up_?"

For the millionth time that morning, Kikyo let out a strangled groan.

Kagome was being unnecessarily difficult. She was doing this on purpose just to aggravate her, Kikyo was sure of it. Why else would her 4.0 GPA genius of a sister purposely be so obtuse about this? Kikyo brushed a tired hand over her face, leveling a steady glare at the mirror-image of a woman sitting in front of her. Kagome stared back, the challenge in her eyes making the corners of her mouth quirk in defiance. Very well, Kikyo would play this game with her.

"Kagome," Kikyo tried again, managing to keep the strain from her tone. "I think enrolling in classes would be a great way to socialize with people outside of our usual social circles." She was trying her best to keep her frustration with her twin sister at bay, her pleasant manners coming to the rescue. "And besides," Kikyo added enthusiastically. "you've always expressed an interest in martial arts!"

"Having a crush on The Karate Kid when I was five years old does not qualify as a valid 'interest' in martial arts, Kikyo. There's a difference." Kagome shot back, sipping from her coffee, effectively shooting down another of Kikyo's 'Great reasons to take Karate!'. Kikyo pouted, trying to come up with another argument that had not yet been dismissed by her twin. As her sister racked her brain for more ideas, Kagome allowed her mind to wander, staring around the cozy family-owned cafe.

Taking another sip of her coffee, Kagome hummed softly. _Not bad,_ she thought to herself – this place could easily cure her of her Starbucks addiction by becoming her new favorite.

Kagome looked back to find Kikyo with a conflicted frown marring her delicate features. The blue-eyed raven leveled her glowering sister with a steady stare. Their eye colors were the only physical trait the twins didn't share; Kagome's sky-blue orbs contrasting beautifully with Kikyo's warm honey eyes.

Kagome let out a fluttering sigh. "Why does it have to be Karate, anyways? Couldn't we take Zumba or something?" she asked, putting down her cup.

Kikyo's face lit up, feeling her sister slowly budge to the idea of _at least_ taking a class with her. "Well, it was actually Inuyasha's suggestion! After those robbery incidents in all the nearby temples, he begged me to take some self-defense classes. You know how worried he gets about me, caring for the temple by myself."

 _Yeah, more like ridiculously over-protective_ , Kagome thought with a grimace. Inuyasha was Kikyo's bad-mouthed boyfriend, and he always threw a hissy fit whenever he would find out about Kikyo putting herself in any sort of scenario that would endanger her. They had been going steady for two years now, and although he had considerably mellowed down, he still threw a tantrum every now and then.

In his defense, Kagome's sister didn't help the situation any by putting herself in exactly the type of position that would provoke that type of response. Being a miko and a shrine maiden, she would invite homeless people to spend the night at the temple (doors away from where she herself slept), would go on midnight excursions to pray for the sick (almost always to the "bad" neighborhoods, on foot), and even visited the confined in the nearby prison (inside their cells, without a priest or escort). That had always been Kikyo's way of being, and it had been by pure divine intervention that she had not yet suffered any misfortune. If you didn't count her meeting the hooligan that was Inuyasha, that is.

While her sister had taken the more humanitarian way of serving others, Kagome had diverged completely from that and instead had studied law. She found a sense of purpose out of protecting 'the little guy' and putting away criminals for good. And although she wasn't arrogant enough to boast about it out-loud, she was damn good at it. 'Shooting them down with the arrow of justice', she would muse to herself. The only reason why the clever lawyer had not yet argued herself out of this silly idea of Kikyo's was because she was too emotionally invested in the case to be objective.

In truth, Kagome adored her twin. And despite seeming to put up a fight for the sake of appearances, she always ended up doing everything the kind miko asked for. Kagome always indulged her, irrational as it may be, and more often than not Kikyo would get her way. It was just how things had always been. Kagome may have been the more rebellious of the two, but she always caved to her sister.

But this…

 _Figures this would be Inuyasha's idea. I should be glad he didn't just buy her a gun as well,_ Kagome mused to herself, hiding a smile. The man could be such a mother hen at times. Kagome knew it was only because he was madly in love with her sister, though.

Unaware of her younger twin's inner musings, Kikyo continued chattering away in that soft, mellow voice of hers. "I asked Inuyasha if he could teach me himself – you know how he's won a few of those MMA fights – but he refused. Said he didn't feel right thinking he might accidently hurt me." Kikyo blushed a bit at that. "He recommended we go to this place an hour away from the shrine. It's a bit far from what I would prefer, but Inuyasha was adamant about it. He was very convincing."

"I bet he was." Kagome smiled lewdly at her sister from behind her coffee cup, causing the shrine maiden to blush even more.

"Your head's always in the gutter, Kagome!" Kikyo chided, but a small smile blossomed. "What I meant was, he took special care to make sure we were both comfortable with the whole thing. He even got his brother to open up a space in his group so he could give both of us classes at his dojo."

At that, Kagome's curiosity was piqued. "His brother? Oh great, there's two of them." She grumbled theatrically, rolling her eyes at the idea of two rambunctious white-haired youths in the same room. She could already feel the incoming migraine.

"Step-brother, actually." Kikyo corrected quickly, biting her lip as if remembering something unpleasant. Kagome noticed though, and when she raised a questioning eyebrow, Kikyo spilled. "They don't seem to get along very well." She confessed hesitantly. "But Inuyasha trusts him enough to give us classes. So what do you say, Kagome? Will you take the classes with me?"

"I don't know, Kikyo…" Kagome looked up from her cup, and her words withered.

 _Oh, no._

 _Not that._

 _Not the puppy eyes!_ Kagome groaned internally, as Kikyo grabbed her hands and made her eyes impossibly wide and dewy. This was a move that Kagome herself had taught her back when they were in high-school so that Kikyo, who was very popular with the boys, could get them to do things for free for them, like carry their books or fetch them snacks. Kikyo had deemed it manipulative and indecent, so she had refused to use the move at all.

Until today.

 _And to your own sister,_ Kagome thought in dismay, feeling both strangely proud and betrayed.

"Pretty, please?" Kikyo whimpered, her lower lip quivering.

"Fine!" Kagome shouted, putting her hands up in defeat with a huff. Kikyo looked so pleased with herself, if she had been the type to she would've been pumping her fists in the air yelling "Victory!". As it was, she merely clapped her hands together and smiled smugly. "Perfect! First class is tomorrow, at six-o-clock in the evening, sharp!"

"Well, let me call Kaede to tell her that I won't be able to stay overtime tomorrow." Kagome grumbled as she searched for her phone in her purse. Although spending some time with her sister – albeit at the stupidest class ever – was a million times better than working overtime with her boss.

"Already taken care of! I called her this morning and she OK'ed it!" Kikyo said with a pleasant smile.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at Kikyo suspiciously. Wait…"How do you even have Kaede's number?"

"She's a regular at the temple. Sweet lady; said she always wanted to be a shrine maiden in her youth. We keep in touch over the holidays too, and talk about you sometimes." Kikyo beamed all too innocently. "She said that if it was for me, you could have every Friday off for as long as needed."

"So you called her in advance even before I had accepted? You're even more conniving than I am." Kagome chuckled in disbelief.

Kikyo beamed, unabashed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, dear sister."

* * *

This wasn't going as planned at all.

Kikyo watched in anguish from the sidelines as Kagome glowered at their instructor with venom in her eyes. The man countered that with a glare of his own, one which would have made lesser men pee their pants, but only fueled the fire in Kagome's competitive nature.

No, not as planned at all.

Perhaps this was divine punishment for trying to interfere in her twin sister's love life. Kikyo apologized to any deity listening, and swore never to meddle on things not within her shrine duties.

It had been a selfish wish that had pushed the gentle miko to concoct such a scheme in the first place. Although scheme sounded so evil and dirty. No, only sisterly concern and affection had fueled the desire to make her twin sister as happy as she was in the realm of love. Kikyo worried constantly about Kagome's romantic status – or lack thereof.

Being twins, they had been inseparable their entire lives, and nothing had come between them. Many suitors had come and gone for both of them, but in the dependency that came with youth and sisterhood, they had only eyes for each other.

That was, until two years ago, when Inuyasha had come into Kikyo's life and stolen her away from Kagome.

Now, Kagome would never admit to feeling abandoned – she was too proud for that. But the steady relationship between the two lovebirds had certainly caused a strain in their own twinship. Now instead of just the two of them hanging out together like they had done their entire lives, another addition had been added into the mix and it threw off the entire chemistry of the group, leaving Kagome as the awkward third-wheel. Eventually, Kikyo started seeing less and less of her sister, despite inviting her to every significant event or occasion. She realized that Kagome was only being considerate, in that roundabout way of hers, but it still made Kikyo incredibly sad for her twin. She only wished that Kagome could find such a respectful, passionate and caring man like Inuyasha for herself.

When she confided this to Inuyasha, he laughed, remarking at the irony that both of their headstrong siblings were single.

And then a plan started to hatch in Kikyo's head.

Inuyasha had spoken about a step-brother. Her boyfriend made him sound like an asshole, but as Kikyo cleverly picked out the biased insults and attacks in the stories that Inuyasha told, she started to see the possibility. Sesshoumaru was serious, perhaps more so than the regular man, and very intelligent. He appeared to be very down-to-earth, nonsensical, sensible and practical – everything that Kagome wasn't. Kikyo loved her sister to death, but Kagome was always day-dreaming and despite her bright and cheerful disposition was always looking for a fight. It was one of the reasons why she and Inuyasha didn't get along at all in the beginning. They were too much alike, their similar personalities clashed and as such their bickering was constant. Sesshoumaru sounded like the perfect cool complement to Kagome's fiery nature.

Or so she had thought. As she stared at the two facing off with the promise of annihilation in their eyes, all she could hope was they could come out of this class intact.

"So, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Kikyo intervened, fluttering like a nervous bird between the two. "How long have you been teaching martial arts?"

The question was enough to pull the man into his senses, and he switched automatically into his cool and stoic demeanor. He turned to the miko, balancing his weight on one foot.

"It is my fourth year as a teacher at this dojo." He responded simply. Kikyo waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't, she tried again.

"That's great. And how long have you been taking martial arts?" she prodded.

"My father has trained both Inuyasha and I since we were only toddlers. Although formal training begun when I was five years old."

If Kikyo could've whistled, she would've. "Oh wow! Kagome isn't that amazing?" she called, trying to bring her younger twin into the conversation.

Kagome gave her a bland look. "Super."

Kikyo sent an imploring glance at the woman, then turned back to Sesshoumaru with a strained smiled. "What she means is, you must be quite skilled, correct?"

"If one where to measure one's skill in years of experience, then yes. I suppose I am quite formidable."

Kagome scoffed loudly. "Yeesh. Cocky, much? Ever heard of humility, pal?"

"Kagome!" Kikyo gasped.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the feisty raven. "Class will resume shortly." He turned to Kikyo, although she had the distinct impression he was speaking to Kagome. "I suggest you take the time to cool your heads, and once done you may be allowed to join the rest of the group."

He excused himself and with that turned on his heel sharply, walking away to the other side of the room without a single glance back at Kagome.

Kagome crossed her arms with a huff. "Man, can you believe that guy? 'You may be _allowed_ to join the rest of the class'?" she mimicked, making a face. "God, he's so full of it!"

Kikyo turned to her sister with a scowl, and Kagome flinched.

"Kagome, what has gotten _into_ you!?" she reprimanded in a hushed whisper.

"What?! ME? You saw how he came at me! You can't expect me to just shut up and take that sort of abuse!"

From the moment that Kagome had stepped into the dojo, she could sense doom.

The lawyer's sense of foreboding was confirmed when a stiff voice next to her said "Please pay the proper respects to this dojo by removing your shoes."

"Excuse me?"

"Your shoes. They are filthy. My dojo is not. Please remove them, or I will remove _you_."

Kagome laughed, disbelief clearly writ on her face at the haughty tone of the beautiful man standing before her. _"Excuse me?"_ she repeated.

"You are excused. Although how basic manners still seem to be an elusive concept to modern civilization to this day continues to baffles me. Unless…" The man raised one perfectly arched eyebrow, as he looked Kagome up and down. "Are you one of my special education students?"

Kagome almost lost it there, but Kikyo, perhaps sensing the incoming fury, slipped between the two with a frantic smile on her face. "I apologize! It's our first time in a dojo like this; we'll take our shoes off right away."

Sesshoumaru looked from one woman to the other, his face controlled. If he thought it strange that he was now seeing double, he didn't show it. He nodded at Kikyo, and turned to the rest of the students already in place for class.

Now, Kagome may have forgiven his pride had he not so brutally wounded hers. As such, she found fault in every single thing he did during the beginning of the class, muttering angrily in Kikyou's weary ear to the point that the twin had hissed back an angry reply. Their bickering had caught Sesshoumaru's attention.

"Is there a reason you two keep interrupting my lesson? As far as I was concerned, the only person who should be talking is the teacher. And unless either of you wish to take the role on for me and lead the class for the rest of the evening..."

"Ah, no! We'll be quiet!" Kikyo promised hastily, as she stepped on Kagome's foot to keep her from lashing out at the man.

Sesshoumaru stared steadily from one twin to the other. Without moving his gaze, he addressed the rest of the class. "We shall take a short recess."

The students moved to the locker rooms, grumbling and laughing amongst themselves. Yet Sesshoumaru and the Higurashi twins did not move from their spots, a stand-off of sorts occurring. Kikyo swallowed as Sesshoumaru crossed his arms.

Finally he spoke. "Which one of you is my half-brother's mate?"

"That would be me!" Kikyo answered, hiding her nerves behind a smile. She was both relieved and worried that Sesshoumaru at least knew who they were and was expecting them today. She walked forward and extended her hand, which he shook firmly. "My name is Kikyo. Kikyo Higurashi. And, um, this is my twin sister, Kagome."

His yellow eyes slid to the older twin standing next to Kikyo, the look indescribable and guarded.

They did not shake hands.

Sesshoumaru huffed, a sound very close to a laugh. "I am not sure what Inuyasha told you, but I do not give out special treatments in my class. These students take Karate very seriously, as they should, and I would appreciate it if when you are in my dojo you do the same. The Taisho family has been instructing on the art of martial arts for years, in this very floor on which you stand. This is a place of respect and comradery-"

"Funny you say that, because respect has been the last thing I've felt since coming here." Kagome interrupted with a click of her tongue. Sesshoumaru stopped mid-sentence so suddenly he might've swallowed his own tongue, words dying immediately. His pale yellow eyes, so much sharper and colder than Inuyasha's, slid dangerously to Kagome, where the stare-off of the century had begun.

Back to the present, Kikyo rubbed her forehead, remembering the ensuing arguments that followed and that led her to arguing with her twin now outside the dojo doors.

"All I saw was you acting like a child!" Kikyo huffed, crossing her arms. "This is really important for me! This man is the brother of my future husband, so please try to get along!"

"Stepbrother." Kagome coughed.

"Kagome…"Kikyo warned.

"Al right! Fine! I wont't screw up your chances of marriage and-"Kagome stopped in her rant, something finally clicking. She looked at her twin, eyes wide, and Kikyo smiled back shyly.

" _Husband_ …?" Kagome asked in a hush.

Kikyo bit her quivering lip, trying to hold back a smile, and nodded. "He proposed last week."

"Oh my god…Oh my god, Kikyo!" Kagome cried out, lauching at her older twin and pulling her into a tight embrace. Kikyo laughed, a fountain of giggles pouring out of her nervously. Kagome drew back, and looked into her twin's face, tears streaming down both their eyes.

"You idiot, you should have told me!"

"I was planning on telling you after the class was over. But you just kept being so difficult and I just…" Kikyo took a quivering breath, trying to calm her emotions. "Kagome, I am so incredibly happy and I love Inuyasha and I just want all of us to get along."

Kagome could read the words between the words. She smiled sadly at her sister, knowing full well that she was the only one not playing nice. Inuyasha, rude and brass as he could be, always welcomed her and invited her to his home without complaints. And Sesshoumaru had done nothing to earn her wrath except be connected by blood to the man that was taking away her other half. Kagome squeezed Kikyo's shoulders, begging her to feel the sincerity of her remorse. "I'm sorry, Kikyo. I've been such a bitch. I know that you love Inu, and that he loves you; I can't do anything to stop that. And I'm happy for both of you. I mean it." She insisted when Kikyo averted her eyes.

"I'll take your stupid Karate class, on one condition."

Kikyo looked up, thoroughly confused. She looked at her younger twin, suspicious and wary. "What condition?"

"Don't make me wear something stupid as your Maid of Honor." Kagome said with a wide grin. Kikyo laughed and smacked her shoulder. The sisters giggled some more, then with one last hug Kagome grabbed her hand and headed back inside the dojo. "Come on, if we make _sensei_ wait any more than he already has he'll blow a gasket." Kagome grumbled, rolling her eyes, and Kikyo laughed.

* * *

The rest of the class went by without incident, and Kagome was in her best behavior. Kikyo could almost swear that her sister was really getting into it, paying close attention to Sesshoumaru's instructions and trying her best to mimic the poses he was teaching. Sesshoumaru was much kinder as well, correcting her stances with gruff but gentle instructions, and Kikyo was baffed by how different yet similar both brothers were. All in all, as far as first classes went, it wasn't half bad. No blood was spilled and that definitely counted as a success for the young maiden. With optimism for the future, Kikyo finished the class in much higher spirits than she thought she would upon entering it.

As they gathered their belongings to go home, the last two students left in there, Kagome paused in her packing and stood up. Kikyo looked at her with questioning eyes.

Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, deliberately not looking at Kikyo. "I'll be right back. I'm…I'm going back to the dojo… to apologize." She sighed, turning away, her face slightly pink with shame. "I acted like a jackass, and I'd rather be on good terms with my future brother-in-law than bad ones."

And with that, the raven turned and headed back inside. Kikyo blinked after her. Kagome had never, EVER in her life felt she had to apologize for anything she ever did, so the fact that she was doing so now, for Kikyo's sake, meant the world to her. Moved almost to tears – she was easily the biggest crybaby in existence - Kikyo grabbed hers and Kagome'stuff and waited for her twin outside.

After fifteen minutes though, Kikyo began to feel anxious again. How long did it take somebody to apologize? Unless they weren't talking and once Kikyo went inside to investigate she would find them duking it out in the dojo floor, a bloodied tangle of limbs and hair. Fearing the worst, he was about to march inside when Kagome burst through the shoji screens.

Wordlessly, she grabbed her stuff from Kikyo's arms and walked toward their car with such speed she might've been sprinting. After a baffled pause, Kikyo followed suit, running to catch up with her twin's pace.

With both women strapped inside the car and heading back to their respective homes, Kikyo found the silence both eerie and puzzling. Kagome was very pointedly not looking at her, blue eyes glued to the road as she drove on autopilot, her gaze a million miles away. Kikyo noticed the sly reddening of her ears and neck, a dead give-away that the raven was embarrassed. But of what? Not able to bear the quiet and confusion any longer, Kikyo spoke.

"So how did it go?" she asked softly, her voice unbearably loud in the quiet confines of Kagome's sensible Prius.

"It went fine." Kagome responded evasively.

"Oh…." Okay, that was…vague. Especially coming from her usually verbose sister. "Well, that's good." Kikyo replied, looking forward as well, a mimicry of her twin's pose. "At least next class it won't be so awkward-"

"I won't be going to the next class."

The sound of the wind howling past the car windows was the only other noise in the car.

"What?" Kikyo asked, as she stared at Kagome's profile. The raven still refused to look at her.

"I'm no longer a student in that dojo."

"WHAT?" Kikyo repeated, this time a little bit louder. Kagome winced at the volume, but Kikyo was still shouting. "Kagome what did you DO?"

"I didn't do anything!" Kagome shot back, a tinge offended. "Why do you always assume it's MY fault!?"

"Because it usually is!" Kikyo snapped, her mild manners flying out the metaphorical window as annoyance gave way. She left Kagome and Sesshoumaru alone together for _a minute_ and now- Kikyo breathed deeply through her nose, exhaling through her mouth in an attempt to calm down. Al right, say she gave Kagome the benefit of the doubt. She opened her eyes to see a sheepish Kagome still not meeting her twin's eyes, gaze locked on the road.

"Kagome…why can't you come back to the dojo to take classes with Sesshoumaru?"

"Because…"she began slowly, "… he said he doesn't date students."

"…"

"…"

"…Wait, WHAT?"

"Well, I went there to apologize and we got to talking and he asked me out for coffee next Saturday on the condition that I dropped his class altogether. Said I didn't really need to learn Karate anyways-

"Why-"

"-because my _body is already kickin'_."

Kagome at least had the decency to blush in embarrassment at Kikyo's violently bewildered look.

* * *

A/N: In my head, Sesshoumaru is a stick-in-the-mud with no proper clue how to flirt except using 'the smolder' which ends up looking like a glare and outdated pick-up lines. Fortunately, Kagome falls for it every time.

Really though, this drabble has been in my computer since last May and I finally came to terms with the fact that while I like it, I'm bored with it and will probably never finish the damn thing properly. So, sorry for the sloppy and rushed ending. Kagome and Sesshoumaru do end up together, as Maid of Honor and Best Man at Kikyo and Inuyasha's wedding. And Kagome never takes another single karate class in her life, although she gets plenty of exercise in Sesshoumaru's dojo after class hours. Namely in the dojo baths. The end.


	11. UPDATE

AN: Hi guys!

Just as an update. I got a lot of complaints and concerns about the confusion revolving me having so many continuations inside this collection of drabble fics. I hear you loud and clear! As a result, the following stories have their own Fanfic archive in my page - you can follow and favorite them there if you still want to be updated on them!

\- Pupil of my Eye  
\- Teacher's Favorite  
\- Hentai High

I hope this makes things easier for you guys. Thanks for sticking around and look forward to more Student/Teacher fics in this archive as well!


	12. Insufferable

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** After-Canon AU

 **Pairing:** SessKag (if you squint).

 **Rating:** PG

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** As an apology for all the past confusion with the drabble series, here is a quickie! Will not be continued but was fun to write. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Insufferable**

888

Kagome let out a noise that was something between a groan and a scream. "Ugh! You're insufferable!"

"Excuse me?" Sesshoumaru countered, eyes narrowed.

Kagome glared at the man from across the bookshelf. Her stare was heated enough that it was a miracle she did not set the entire library on fire.

She had no one to blame except herself, though. Kagome had been the one, after all, to offer to take the great taiyoukai into the university library.

It had understandably surprised everyone in her household when, quite unexpectedly, the Demon Lord of the Western Lands had casually walked into her home and demanded to know where he was. The situation became considerably more precarious when her grandfather, in one of his misguided fits of glory, tried to exorcise the tall demon with one of his cheap charms. Holy water was involved.

Wet and more than a little irritated, Sesshoumaru had not been amused. Not one bit.

How Kagome had managed to shove her heart down her throat long enough to make sure the demon did not decapitate her elderly grandfather was still something she marveled at this very second. But she had managed to keep her panic at bay and had, very gracefully and carefully, escorted the demon lord back into the well and attempted to send him back in time.

There was only one tiny glitch to the plan. Sesshoumaru refused to return.

"Where am I?" he asked imperiously again. He sniffed experimentally at the air, and scrunched up his nose in distaste. After a few more tentative sniffs, he looked down at Kagome with laser-sharp eyes, causing her heart to stutter.

"And why are you here, wench?"

Kagome bristled at the derogatory.

"My name is _Kagome._ " She grit out between clenched teeth. "I know you know it, Sesshoumaru, so call me by it. And _you_ need to go back."

"Back?" he echoed, and his eyes glinted curiously.

The only reason why she had the bravery to stand up to him was because they had both fought side by side against Naraku in the final battle. He had been there when the jewel was destroyed. And he had helped them rebuild the village where his little girl was now currently growing up in with Sango and Miroku as her foster parents. This liaison was hopefully strong enough that he considered Kagome an ally and as such not someone worthy of killing. If not equals, they could at least stand in common enough ground that he deemed her familiar and friendly, if inferior.

Although recalling how he often treated his subordinate, Jaken, she realized that even if death was off the table, bodily harm was not.

Sesshoumaru seemed to be mulling something. Then, after eons of silent staring, where Kagome was wondering if he were even going to respond at all, he nodded, the most imperceptible dip of his head.

"All right, Kagome." He murmured, and Kagome tried to ignore the small little joy hearing her name on his lips caused her heart. "Your request seems reasonable. Now, I demand you tell me where I am this instant and why you are here yet my brother and his entourage are not."

Kagome reeled. She realized that this was the most she had ever heard him speak.

Sesshoumaru blinked at her, and Kagome bit her lip, unsure of how to answer. Ultimately, she decided that with Sesshoumaru being direct might be best.

"You are in the future." She said quickly, and the most infinitesimal tick of his eyebrow gave away his surprise. "This is the future, and I travel back in time, to _your time_ , through this magic well."

She thought he would demand more of an explanation. Any sane person would. But Sesshoumaru merely blinked that thoughtful way of his and nodded.

"All right." He said.

"All right?" Kagome parroted in disbelief. "That's it, that's all it takes to convince you? What if I'm lying?"

"You are not." Sesshoumaru remarked simply, and Kagome remembered Inuyasha telling her once about how some pure-blood demons were so strong they could even smell deceit. She wondered, idly, if Sesshoumaru was one of them.

"I require books." He interrupted her suddenly.

Now it was Kagome's turn to blink, although rather than graceful like he, she looked owlish and confused.

"Books?"

"Yes. I wish to read the documentation and history of this era. Thus I wish for books, Kagome."

Kagome blinked rapidly.

"You can read?"

Sesshoumaru scowled, and Kagome remembered belatedly not to insult the intelligence of haughty and arrogant demon lords.

And that was how she now found herself in university library, escorting a very intrigued dog demon through the many rows of shelves to the history section. Kagome, in a naïve bout of compassion, decided to take the older man under he wing and teach her all there was to know about her world. She had, arguably, not calculated how incredibly obnoxious and difficult this task would be. Kagome liked to think that she was old enough and mature enough that she made this decision for righteous reasons like sympathy, and not because Sesshoumaru was hot. That would be shallow and sneaky and totally justifiable because holy smokes Sesshoumaru was even better-looking in jeans.

In her early youth, Kagome had always been mesmerized by the taiyoukai. Upon their first meeting she had found him positively handsome (although quickly she learned how cruel he was). And then later, upon meeting him and his adopted little ward, she had thought him mature and eloquent and all the things Inuyasha was not.

After having spent time with him for more than a day, she quickly came to the realization that he was just as much of an over-grown child as Inuyasha was!

The first hurdle came when she remarked on the state of his clothing and the necessity to discard it in order to navigate the new world. She had demanded that he change clothes so as not to draw too much unnecessary attention and that had been a struggle in enough of itself. Sesshoumaru _would not_ part with his armor, swords or that ridiculous fluffy thing that hung around his shoulders like the flamboyant fur boa of a queen in Ru Paul's Drag Race.

It was only after she had managed to convince him that neither nobility nor lords wore kimonos anymore, and had switched heavy layers of fabrics for toght pants and t-shirts that Sesshoumaru had reluctantly agreed to change into spare clothing she borrowed from Souta.

Luckily the boy had shot up during the summer, and his clothes fit Sesshoumaru rather well. But it was well over an hour until Sesshoumaru decided upon a combination that _he_ was comfortable with, and by that time Kagome was ready to go to bed and call it a day. It was only ten-o-clock in the morning.

Her woes had not ended there, though. All the way to the library, Sesshoumaru had complained about virtually everything there was to complain about. Kagome's noisy car, the state of air and how polluted it was, the buildings and sidewalks, the use of leashes on dogs ("Positively barbaric!" he had remarked with bared teeth, watching a Labrador skipping by happily with its master), and so on and so forth. It was enough to make Kagome's head spin.

Absently, she recalled when Inuyasha had traveled to the modern times; he had not asked nearly as many questions as Sesshoumaru had. Granted, Inuyasha was of a much – ah – _simpler mind_ than his brother. But still. His questions were complex too, and often required answers that were completely out of Kagome's depth. For a man known for his silence, he was a complete chatterbox now! And an insulting one too!

Kagome didn't know if he was purposely offending her every time he opened his mouth and remarked on some inferior action she did or reference something idiotic she said, but he had the innate ability of getting under her skin. If it weren't because she had the patience of a saint and he was incredibly attractive and woke a childhood crush she had harbored for him during her teenage years, she would have sent him home packing immediately.

But when they got to the university and he remarked, perhaps in his mind kindly, how impressed he was she was smart enough to get into a learning institution despite how foolish she often looked to him, she snapped.

"What did you say?" Sesshoumaru muttered, recalling her insult. He closed the book he had in his hand and met her glare with one of his own.

"You heard me!" she hissed, stomping towards him until she was dangerously close and invading his personal space. Her eyes were wild, and in the back of his mind Sesshoumaru appreciated the primitive beauty of an angry woman. He would have appreciated it more if said woman wasn't persistently poking his person with uncontrolled fury.

"You are conceited and snobbish and a total control freak!" she ground out between bared teeth, punctuating each adjective with a powerful poke on his chest." You have zero personality, major anger-management problems, stupid pretty hair that I want to play with so bad and sometimes you get this glassy-eyed look on your face like you don't know what's going on and I don't know whether to slap you or kiss you!"

"Wait a minute-"

"And-" she continued on a roll, her anger giving her unstoppable drive. "-the worst thing is, despite all of your personal flaws, I _like_ you!" She threw her hands up in frustration. "And even though I'm trying to help you, you still continue to give me a hard time! So t _hat's_ why you're insufferable!"

Kagome stood panting before the man, her chest heaving. For his part, Sesshoumaru merely stood there digesting the angry rant, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, Kagome pointed an accusing finger to his face. "See?! Like _that_!" she shouted, referencing to the previously mentioned glassy-eyed look. She huffed and crossed her arms. "So what do you have to say for yourself?"

Sesshoumaru blinked very fast. He did not know where to start first, so he blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

"You want to kiss me?"

* * *

Demon or human, I suppose all males focus on one thing. Hope you liked! I love writing Kag and Sess biting each other's head off. Ahhh, the lovely sexual tension it creates.


	13. Beauty School Dropout

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** Sengoku Jidai, Post-Canon

 **Pairing:** MirSan, One-sided SessKag

 **Rating:** PG-13 (?)

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** Crack!fic that would not leave my mind. Not exactly a typical teacher-student scenario, but certainly Kagome taking on the role of teacher. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Beauty School Dropout**

888

Kagome wanted to touch it. She wanted to touch it _so_ bad.

Night had fallen hours ago, and the full moon was high in the sky. The others had already gone to sleep, their bodies tucked away into the multitude of sleeping bags she had brought over from her time. Sango and Miroku laid next to each other, despite their earlier fight where Miroku had tried to persuade Sango about the bnefits of sharing one bedding, something about insulation and "body heat". One red cheek later, Sango had let him know exacly what she had thought of the idea. But now, asleep, holding hands, Kagome smiled to herself and wondered how long it would be before Sango eventually gave in. Next to the lovebirds slept Rin and Shippo, sharing one multi-colored sleeping bag and dozing happily away. Sometimes Rin would whimper in her sleep, a bad dream, and Shippo would press closer until she calmed down and a smile settled back into her features.

Inuyasha had refused his, like always, but even from her spot on the ground Kagome could tell the young man was fast asleep. Unusual for the half-demon but it had been a long day of fighting and rest was well-deserved. And although he dare not admit it, the fact that his older brother had now joined the group had allowed Inuyasha to rest more easily at night, knowing there would be strong ally to help them out in case of an attack.

So that only left the two of them.

Pretending to yawn, Kagome glanced at the white-haired demon from across the campfire. He was standing off to a distance, as always, looking up to the stars and pretending that he was not travelling with them. He had said he was only doing it to defeat Naraku, and that having greater numbers would level the playing field when the final battle arrived. But the battle had come and gone, the jewel had been destroyed and still he remained.

Hair as white as the first drop of snow was cast in lovely golds and oranges as the fire's reflection danced across its length. The moon overhead added an extra element of mystery, and his hair seemed to positively glow under the night's sky. He looked every bit the ethereal creature of legend that he was, and Kagome sighed deeply, her chest squeezing tightly. Fantasy after fantasy had corrupted her nightly dreams and waking moments as he yearned to touch those beautiful long tresses. Perhaps it was some deep psychological kink she had not known she had, or maybe it was one of those intangible girlish impulses that drove her to it. But one thing she knew for sure - Kagome wanted it. She would do anything to touch his hair.

His eyes shot to her, and Kagome jumped, paranoid that he had somehow read her thoughts.

He was looking at her strangely, his eyes a deep ochre from the fire. The color made him seem less alien than the bright yellow that appeared during daylight, and Kagome wondered if she could fall into them forever. And then, he was walking towards her, and Kagome's heart lurched to her throat.

Sesshoumaru never approached her.

It wasn't that he was unkind. But besides engaging together in battle, he never had a reason to speak to the young time-traveler. He had spoken more to Miroku, and even Sango, than he had to Kagome, and the girl had thought that perhaps he still harbored feelings of resentment over his lost limb. Kagome cringed, remembering it as not her shiniest moment in their relationship.

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru was standing right in front of her, his tall figure looming over her sleeping bag.

Kagome coughed, nervously, and smiled up at him from her seat. "Umm…yes?" she asked, trying to sound bright and cheerful.

Sesshoumaru raised one perfectly arched eyebrow, and Kagome's heart fluttered erratically in her ribcage. She was sure he could hear it, and her thought was confirmed when the shadow of a smirk flashed lightning-fast across his features before disappearing. But Kagome had no time to decipher the expression, because suddenly he bent at the waist and his cheek was pressed against hers. Kagome's body froze, blood pumping so loud in her eardrums she almost missed what he said next.

"I will allow you to touch my hair…"he rumbled, his breath tickling the sensitive shell of her ear as he leaned down to her, "if I may touch yours."

"Oh." Kagome breathed, because really there was nothing else to be said as the demon leaned back again, his eyes intent and bright.

Oh.

FUCK.

So Kagome _had_ said that out loud. Son of a _bitch._

Sesshoumaru dropped into a graceful crouch in front of her, and Kagome was not sure what was warmer: the heat emanating from the firewood she had set up for the encampment or the suddenly very large and broad body leaning closer to her. No, it was definitely all the blood that had rushed from her body to her face at being caught saying something so fucking embarrassing.

His hand lifted and began a treacherously slow journey upwards, until it reached her face, fingers ghosting across her cheek, grazing the tip of her ear and leaving the skin there scorching. When did her ear become connected to her libido, she wondered idly as she felt something warm and delightful stir low in her belly. His fingers found the edge of the hair tie that she had used to pull her hair into a tight ponytail, and they paused, for a beat. And then Kagome thought she felt the slightest of pulls, and she cried out –

A flash of white, and suddenly his sharp nails had sliced through the constrictive accessory and her hair fell in lush tresses around her shoulders in a cloud of midnight black.

Sesshoumaru hummed in the back of his throat, contemplative, and he was close enough that the vibrations of it echoed inside Kagome's suddenly hallow chest. He tilted his head, the picture of thoughtful consideration, and one dangerously clawed nail grabbed a curl of hair and brought it close to his face for inspection. As he leaned closer to her, forgoing any sense of personal space, Kagome could see with perfect clarity his facial tattoos, counting four perfect pink stripes and a half-moon. The demon lord was so close that, had she wanted to, she could have traced them with her tongue.

The sudden erotic thought alarmed her, and she pursed her lips tight to stop her tongue from getting any ideas.

Suddenly, as if hearing her thoughts, his eyes shot up from the hair tangled in his claws to her blue eyes.

Kagome held her breath.

And then Sesshoumaru opened his mouth, plush lips sinfully near and with a voice that rivaled rich velvet, whispered:

"Teach me how to French-braid."

What?

Of all the unsexy things that Sesshoumaru could have said, this was arguably not the top one, but fairly close.

"Huh?" Kagome said intelligently, blinking the mist away.

Sesshoumaru was still too close, but gone was the sudden tension Kagome had felt and, with a downcast heart, she realized he had not been trying to seduce her – although it had worked marvelously. "French-braid, Miko. I require your teachings in order to learn this."

Kagome was still trying to claw herself out of the pit of lust she had prematurely jumped in, so one could forgive her for being a bit slow in understanding why the Lord of the Western Lands suddenly had a raging desire to learn the intricacies of hair styling.

Less eloquently, she asked, "Why?".

Sesshoumaru sighed, seeming annoyed with her questions and even himself for his sudden predicament. "Rin has been asking me to do one since she was last in your care and you braided her hair in that fashion. I confess to not being privy to the delicate art of this European trend, and as such, wish to learn how to master it swiftly and effectively. Of course, Rin does not know this." He leveled a steady glare at Kagome, as if to tell her that Rin should not find out about his lack of knowledge on this subject either.

Kagome smiled inwardly. In Rin's impressionable eyes, Sesshoumaru knew everything. And despite showing that he did not care, Sesshoumaru was very careful to keep that reputation intact for the one creature in this world that did not fear him and, dare she say, even loved him. So, Kagome thought amused, Sesshoumaru wanted to impress his little girl with a new hairstyle. If that wasn't the cutest thing Kagome had ever heard, she didn't know what was. Now, Kagome wasn't a beauty guru by any stretch of the imagination, but she had seen enough hair tutorials on MuuTube to know how to do the most basic of braids, even something as simple (to her) as a French Braid. If becoming a hair professional in Sesshoumaru's eyes meant that she could get closer to her goal of touching his hair, then Kagome was all for it.

Sighing at the loss of the sudden heat that had possessed her and resigning herself to the fact that Sesshoumaru may well never see her as anything other than his brother's "miko", Kagome smiled kindly at the inquisitive demon still waiting expectantly for her answer.

"I would love to teach you how to French braid, Sesshoumaru. On one condition."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his yellow eyes suspiciously at the raven. "And what is that, miko?"

Kagome noted he has still playing with the ends of her hair.

Feeling bold and foolish, the young woman reached out and grabbed a tendril of white silver hair. She swallowed back a sigh, marveling out how incredibly silky it felt between her fingers, imagining how it would feel cascading down her bare arms.

She smiled impishly at the demon.

"Call me 'Kagome-sensei'."

* * *

Slight fluffy-tension. Hope you like! Got a request for Sess vs Technology next so I'll get on that asap! R&R and recommend prompts! I might just pick yours!;)


	14. Love and Hate is a Stare Away

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** Sengoku Jidai canon

 **Pairing:** None (One-sided SessKag, IF you squint)

 **Rating:** PG

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** Short but amusing.A short drabble where Sess uses proverbs learned from Kagome only to have it backfire. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Staring**

888

He was always staring at her.

His alien, yellow eyes were persistently following Kagome's every move like a hypnotized rattlesnake. More often than not, the staring was accompanied by a look of pure distaste, which in Sesshoumaru's case was barely perceptible in the most infinitesimal downward pull of his lips. To anybody else, it looked like his usual blank appearance. But Kagome had been around the man long enough to recognize the non-expression for what it was: a scowl.

Hilariously enough, the great demon Lord of the Western Lands now spent his days, not striking down demons, but participating in staring contests with a feisty, little miko.

The constant watching was slowly starting to piss her off, and by slowly, Kagome meant the opposite.

"What?!" the young miko finally snapped when she caught him staring at her again for the millionth time in the span of five minutes. The others of her group had learned by now to steer clear away from these fights. The group of Jewel Hunters all concentrated on the ground beneath their feet very hard as they walked the long grassy road a few paces in front of them, ignoring the upcoming argument that was sure to follow such an exclamation.

Sesshoumaru sniffed. "I do not like you." the demon lord explained simply, in that haughty tone of his that drove Kagome up the wall.

Kagome laughed, humorless. "Ha! What a coincidence! _Finally_ something we both agree on. I do not like you either. You are rude and annoying."

"A tiger does not lose sleep over the opinion of sheep." He recited, borrowing one of the odd phrases he had learned from her during their quest.

"Well, maybe if said tiger wasn't always staring at the sheep like a _creepy stalker_ -"

"This Sesshoumaru does not!"

* * *

AN: I was working on a Father's Day fic but did not manage to finish it in time due to my trip u_u I promise to publish it as soon as I do, though!


	15. Hair of the Dog

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** Sengoku Jidai, Post-Canon

 **Pairing:** MirSan, One-sided SessKag

 **Rating:** PG-13 (?)

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** (hides from the fangirls) Ange has been a very bad author. I know most of you were expecting Shikon Hentai High to update, and I really do apologize! I've just been re-writing the chapter a dozen times and nothing seems to please me. So right now I just needed to take a break and do something completely silly and fun. So here. A continuation to the previous drabble " _Beauty School Dropout_ ", because this little scenario amused me. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Hair of the Dog**

Sesshoumaru had, admittedly, not fully considered all the way through the repercussions that such an innocent request would merit.

He glared at the glossy black locks tangled in his fingers, afraid that one wrong pull would illicit yet another covert hiss of pain the little miko had been trying to hide from him. Sesshoumaru frowned, carefully calculating his next move, with the severity of a military general at war. Although he was certain he had tangled the miko's hair to a complex knot that would only be fixed by cutting it off.

"Doing all right, back there?" Kagome asked brightly inclining her head to the side, her tone upbeat despite the severity of the situation. Sesshoumaru admired her bravado, impressed by the misplaced trust she had granted one such as he to touch the very medal of femininity that was her hair. He had an understanding that females took great pride in preening and maintaining the length of their locks to pristine levels (an understanding that had come from being in close contact to the only females of authority in his life; namely, his mother and Rin, and now Kagome of course. He had observed and analyzed the strange preening rituals she would partake in to keep her hair shiny and clean, and he admired the tediousness she put up with just for the sake of a presentable appearance. Truly, her efforts were well-invested, because, folly as he was to admit it, Kagome's hair was quite attractive by human standards in comparison to her fellow mortal women. And he knew it came from no little effort on her part, even going as far as concocting her own hair lotions and brews. When put in that light, Sesshoumaru was determined to honor her sacrifice to the best of his abilities, and as such he owed such tender care the chance to rectify his mistake. Sesshoumaru could not fail her.

After all, how hard could it be to French-braid hair?

Kagome, ignorant to the Demon Lord's silent panic attack, was beside herself. Giddy even. Sesshoumaru was _braiding her hair_!

After he had requested the previous night a private lesson so that he could learn the refined art of plaiting tresses, Kagome had been too excited to even sleep. The next morning, she had managed to convince the group to rest for the day, to recoup from their long journey, something most were all grateful for – even grumpy Inuyasha had grudgingly agreed. The hanyou had jumped off to explore the forest and do God-knows-what, the demon huntress and monk determined a visit to the nearby village to do some shopping would be prudent to restock their supplies, and Rin and Shippo had decided to tag along. That left Kagome and Sesshoumaru alone. This would have generally caused Kagome some serious anxiety, since she often floundered on how to properly behave in front of the stoic and solemn demon lord. But now, she would have a chance to breach that distance that separated them and hopefully strengthen their bond of friendship.

Plus she would get to touch his hair.

It was a win-win, if Kagome ever saw one.

Kagome had suggested they move deeper into the forest, as opposed to the clearing, where the woods would offer some privacy in case any of the group walked in on them during the lesson. And also, if any of the others asked, they could say they had been out hunting for food and firewood. Sesshoumaru had agreed, obviously not comfortable with the thought of being caught doing such an activity by the other Jewel-hunters.

Walking in companionable silence through the forest, they had come across a clearing next to a stream and Kagome decided to settle there for their first lesson. She sat cross-legged next to the stream, wet her hands and pulled her hair out from its tie, attempting to comb it through with her damp fingers. Sesshoumaru mimicked her pose, dropping gracefully to the ground straight across from the raven, and watched transfixed as she attempted to untangle her hair to her satisfaction.

"Ok!" Kagome announced, putting her hands down and slapping her bare thighs officially. She had opted to wear shorts today, much to the obvious discomfort of the demon lord. She decided it could not be worse than that horrendously short skirt she used to parade around back in highschool so she had ignored his scandalized look. "I think it might be easier if I show you the steps first and then you can follow along, all right!?"

No forthcoming answer. Sesshoumaru's face remained a mask of impassiveness, so Kagome took that as an ok to continue. Nodding to herself, she bundled her hair in her hands, and began explaining.

"So first thing first, you gotta make sure the hair is nice and untangled. I brushed mine before coming here so it should be fine. I mean, it's got some split ends, which is killing me, but there ain't no hairdressers in the Sengoku Jidai so whatchu gonna do, right?"

More glassy blinking.

Kagome waved her hand dismissively. "That's beside the point. Anyways! Hair untangled, you are now ready to French Braid! So step one, now you…"she parted her mane into two sections, making her movements broad and exaggerated for the demon to see. "…get two sections of your hair nice and separated. Then, grabbing a small section from the outside, cross the right one over the left and…"

Kagome continued the instructions as Sesshoumaru watched in rapt silence, his eyes narrowed in absolute concentration. After Kagome was done with the braid, she clapped her hands cheerfully. "And that's all it is! Now, I can practice using your hair so you can see it closer –"

"No." Sesshoumaru spoke firmly.

Kagome leaned away, taken aback. "Umm…but it would help."

"You will not braid my hair like a common courtesan." He insisted, and his tone broke no further argument.

Kagome tried not to feel too sad or offended. After all, she still wasn't clear if he was referring to her as a courtesan or to the implication that _he_ would look like a courtesan with braided hair. Quickly though, she bounced right back, plastering a wide smile on her face. "Well, you can try braiding on yourself while this time following along to my instructions-"

"No." Sesshoumaru repeated, and Kagome's smile faltered.

"You're being truly unreasonable-"she began before being cut off sharply.

"I see no merit on doing the plait on myself-"

"Sesshoumaru, really-"

"- let me finish, miko." He interrupted imperiously, raising his hand to silence her. The raven closed her mouth with a snap and raised her eyebrow expectantly. "I see no mering on doing the plait on myself…but, I would like to try on your hair, if possible."

The raven girl nearly swallowed her tongue.

"Oh." Kagome said weakly instead, not anticipating this turn of events.

Sesshoumaru's face remained serious, his determination flashing in his eyes. "I believe it would be easier to practice on someone else, rather than my own person, in order to get the movements as accurate as possible. It would make more sense as well, since in the future I shall be doing this to Rin as opposed to myself."

"That does make sense." Kagome mumbled, unable to argue with that logic.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Kagome wrapped her head around the situation. She looked up and saw Sesshoumaru staring at her, a scowl of impatience in his face.

"Yes?" Kagome prodded.

His eyes slanted to a spot of grass before him, then back at her, quite pointedly, and Kagome immediately understood.

"Oh, right! Sorry! Let me-" she picked up her brushes and hair ties and, quickly, scuttled to Sesshoumaru's side, before awkwardly sitting in front of him. She turned around, until her back was facing him. Good thing too, because Kagome was sure that she was blushing all the way up to her roots.

Behind her, Kagome felt him shift closer, and she heard the soft rustling of cloth as he unfurled his hands from his sleeves. Nerves overtook her as she felt claws, sharp and dangerous, sweep the hair at the base of her neck and closer to him.

"Um, are you sure you don't want me to show you agai-"

"Unnecesary." Sesshoumaru cut her off.

His fingers began to slide through her tresses and Kagome almost interrupted to offer her hairbrush, but stopped herself at the glorious sensation of having another person stroke her hair in such an intimate fashion. When the tips of his fingers brushed the sensitive skin of her scalp, rubbing skillfully, the raven nearly groaned. If there were ever a career future for Sesshoumaru, massage therapy would definitely be it because _holy shit_ this felt amazing.

Really, Kagome wondered who was the real winner out of this exchange.

The blissful brushing and stroking continued for a few more minutes, and Kagome's eyes fluttered closed like a well-content cat, until she finally began to feel the tell-tale signs of Sesshoumaru braiding. A steady rythm developed, his fingers looping over themselves time and again, and Kagome found herself being lulled to a peaceful calm that she had not experienced in - God, Kagome couldn't begin to remember the last time she had felt so relaxed in the Sengoku Jidai.

Kagome would have been quite happy to sit there being fondled and pampered by the Demon Prince. But after a while, the tugs began to happen. Kagome winced quietly as a particularly sharp tug caused her to open her eyes, surprised, and she wondered what the heck he was doing back there.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked warily, trying to mask her concern with a smile.

The white-haired demon lord did not respond, and she wondered if he had heard her. Although he had superhuman senses, and being a full dog-demon, his senses must've been even more acute than Inuyasha's. So he was ignoring her, she concluded, which for some reason did not comfort her in the slightest. Belatedly, she realized that all movement had stopped behind her. He was no longer braiding her hair, and the sudden tense silence was unnerving.

"Sesshoumaru, you're awfully quiet. Is everything all right?" Kagome asked, starting to turn her head to look at the demon behind her, when she felt two strong hands grab the sides of her face and forcibly turn her looking forwards once more.

"Do not move." He instructed firmly, and due to her surprise at his action, Kagome missed the hint of hysteria in his voice.

"O-okay." Kagome stuttered, hyper-aware that the demon's hands were no longer on her hair but actually touching her skin, flesh on flesh.

Sesshoumaru's palms radiated amazing heat as they warmed the sides of her face with incredible speed. Yes, that's what it was, because Kagome was most definitely not blushing right now. She was also not blushing because Sesshoumaru had suddenly leaned in closer to her and she could feel his breath on the back of her neck and _oh Kami-_

"Kagome." He whispered, and the raven felt his words curl around her ear and melt her bones.

"S-Sesshoumaru, what are-"

His hands moved from her face, sliding down her neck and then to her shoulders, where they settled and squeezed.

"Kagome." He whispered again, and she noted the slight tremor in his voice as he pulled her towards him, her back gracing his chest and Kagome shivered-

"May I ask you something?" he continued with a sudden urgency, and his lips grazed her earlobe, the contact warming the skin in an instant. Kagome's head rocked slowly on its axis, the weight of it suddenly impossible to bear and she fell even more heavily into his pseudo-embrace. She didn't understand what was happening, or what could possibly be so important that Sesshoumaru needed to ask at that very moment. Did he not realize what he was doing to her?

"Yes, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome breathed, and distantly she noted that her voice shook slightly.

Sesshoumaru licked his lips nervously, before speaking once more.

"How opposed are you to short hair?"

* * *

Oh dear. Sessy done and screwed up now, didn't he?


	16. Devil's Haircut

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** Sengoku Jidai, Post-Canon

 **Pairing:** None (SessKag if you squint)

 **Rating:** PG-13 (?)

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** Third and final installment to my French-braid series drabble " _Beauty School Dropout_ ", because this little scenario amused me. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Devil's Haircut**

Inuyasha was not what most would call "brainy", for lack of a kinder word, but for the millionth time, the half-demon questioned the prudence of allowing his older half-brother to join their group of Jewel-hunters. Perhaps it had been momentary madness that had driven him to accept Sesshoumaru into their fold, but one could not blame the hanyou for not foreseeing the catastrophic results this would inspire.

No one dared say anything, as they all sat on logs around the fireplace; they ate in the most uncomfortable of silences and very pointedly pretended not to look at the fuming raven-haired miko and the stoic blank-faced demon lord sitting next to her.

No one, that is, except Inuyasha.

"Ehh, Kagome-"

"What?!" the raven-haired girl snapped, and Inuyasha flinched as if she had uttered the sealing spell of his necklace.

"Um, you know what, never mind. I forgot." The half-demon lied as he buried his face into his ramen, uncharacteristic wisdom making him reconsider his words. Possibly, some primal instinct of self-preservation had resurfaced and quietly warned him about the dangers of angering females with the magical abilities to purify his ass.

Especially those females whose hair had been as thoroughly violated as Kagome's had been.

They had needed to cut her hair. Her once-long mane was now barely below her chin-level, sheared off with a blade into a messy bob by a cooing Sango, who swore and promised a crying Kagome that, really, it wasn't as bad as it looked, and _didn't it feel refreshing to have cool air on her neck_? Kagome, for her part, was still baffled. Sesshoumaru, _Kami knows how_ , had somehow managed to braid her locks into such complex knots that, try as Kagome and the rest of the travelers might, had not been able to untangle them at all; despite persistently brushing away at it for the better half of an hour. An hour!

Kagome stabbed inside the cup of ramen noodles with more force than necessary and shoved a fork-full into her mouth, chewing aggressively. She slid a furious glare at her log-partner, who seemed immune to the mental daggers currently being sent straight through his brain. Truly, he was much too calm for a man that had single-handedly ruined the miko's perfectly-maintained black hair. And in spite of the horrible consequences due in large part to his terrible braiding skills, Sesshoumaru had had the audacity to sit next to her as if nothing had even happened. As if it wasn't his fault to begin with!

"Even after I went through all that trouble to teach you." Kagome murmured acidly, mourning the loss of her damaged hair in despair.

Sesshoumaru sniffed, feigning offense, although the way his shoulder stiffened at her comment and bowed slightly spoke of at least an ounce of remorse. His next words though, had the petite raven seeing red. "Perhaps if you had been a better teacher, I would have been a better student."

"What?!" Kagome screeched, and all the demons in the group winced.

As Kagome continued the barrage of screams and insults aimed at a most morose and guilty-looking Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha shook his head and agreed with an apologetic look to the rest of his entourage that he had, indeed, gone insane.

Although not as insane as Sesshoumaru would be after Kagome was done with him.

* * *

A cute ending to a cutesy crack!fic. As much as I love SessKag, I really do enjoy writing in Inuyasha's voice every now and then. He's just so crass and genuine, it's fun.


	17. Hairdresser on Fire

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** Sengoku Jidai, Post-canon au

 **Pairing:** SessKag

 **Rating:** PG

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** I had said I was done with the 'French-braid' series that started back in chapter 13 with _"Beauty-School Dropout"_ , but after a few reviews left about Sesshoumaru needing to face the consequences of his actions, I just knew I needed to give this drabble a proper ending. I am not one for needless retribution and punishment though, and am a firm advocate that delightful results can come out of shared misery. Also, you have **Nyght elf** ' s sweet support to thank for this, I appreciate her cheerful encouragement whole-heartedly. So hopefully, you'll like this little thing I did.

Now, enjoy!

* * *

 **Hairdresser on Fire - Morrisey**

888

Kagome gaped at the offered gift, quite by accident channeling the most fantastic interpretation of a gasping koi fish. The similarities were so accurate as to be identical; wide-eyed vagueness to their expression (leaning towards fear), and the inability to formulate verbal speech.

Before her, wearing a mask of pure boredom (and that was what it was, a mask, as inside his emotions fluxed and ebbed like a sailboat in a storm), Sesshoumaru waited for a reaction that he could actually interpret. After an obscene amount of time had passed and Kagome refused to do anything other than stare in silent horror, he grew frustrated.

"With such an over-the-top response, one would think I would be offering you my genitals instead." The demon lord joked dryly, trying to lighten the mood.

That seemed to snap Kagome out of her shock; although the crude words had a completely adverse effect than what he expected. She did not laugh, as he had intended, but instead covered her mouth with a squeak and turned a most alarming shade of red. Disturbed, he worried if all the blood from her body had traveled to her skull, and that couldn't possibly be healthy for a human, could it?

The great taiyoukai threw mental hands up in the air and concluded that he would never understand women. After all, he would have thought that she would be elated, gleeful even, to see justice and equality served so swiftly. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in this case, a mane for a mane.

Between them, Sesshoumaru's long, silver locks lay on a piece of purple cloth, like some sort of sickly amputated limb, a solemn offering of his deepest apologies. Because of him and his odd request to learn how to french-braid – and to this moment, he had no idea why he had even proposed such a ridiculous demand - the lovely miko had suffered a great wound to her maidenly pride, and as such had been forced to cut off her ebony locks. It seemed only fair to the demon that he should level the playing field between both and start a new slate, and this seemed like the most logical solution to him. ( _Of course, "Sesshoumaru logic" is questionable at best,_ the author kindly reminds the reader).

"You cut your hair…you cut it all off…" Kagome whimpered, her tiny, panicked voice dragging him out of his reverie and into the present.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to bring his hand up and touch the empty space behind his neck where his long hair had once been to confirm that, indeed, it was all gone. At the moment though, his hair was now not much longer than the miko's, although cut much straighter with his own claws to lie just below his chin. The short length was something that he still struggled to get used to, and he could surprisingly empathize with Kagome's feelings; though while her sorrow had arisen from vanity, his had manifested from the loss of something familiar. For as long as he could remember, Sesshoumaru had always worn his hair long, a characteristic staple that had marked all the Taisho men in his family, and now that is was gone, he was left uneasy. Nobody could deny that he was still Sesshoumaru, still the strong and fearless Demon Prince of the Western Lands. But at least to himself he could admit weakly that he just felt a little _less_ now, lighter, like half of him was suddenly missing, and his new-found identity as this "fresh" Sesshoumaru was both liberating and unsettling.

The nerve in his jaw jumped, and he batted away the unexpected wave of melancholy that assaulted him at the realization of what he had done. He was still trying to understand _why_ he had done it.

"It shall grow." He assured her flatly, catching her tearful eyes and leveling her with a gentle stare. "As shall yours, miko. This way, though, it shall grow together." the last sentence left a strange ring in his ears, and he wasn't sure why he had even said it. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure of a lot of things lately, not when it concerned a certain little miko.

"But…why?" a still-baffled Kagome whispered unsteadily, lowering her trembling fingers from her face. The blush had subsided quite substantially, but her cheeks were still a bright pink.

Sesshoumaru wished he knew why himself. Surely he did not feel guilt for the pathetic plight of one measly human woman?

"Do not presume to question this Sesshoumaru's motives." He dodged instead, pointing his chin upward imperiously. "This Sesshoumaru felt like doing so, and so he did. And now, we may put aside this ridiculous feud once and for all, and continue as acquaintances."

The pretty raven rummaged through Sesshoumaru's formal language to pick out and translate what the demon lord had just confessed, and with a girlish smile tugging at her lips, asked, "You did this…so we could be _friends_?"

" _Acquaintances._ " Sesshoumaru corrected emphatically.

"Yes, of course, that's what I meant." Kagome reassured him, biting her lip to hide a smile. She looked down at the beautiful silver hair she loved so much, now lying listless on the ground, and felt her heart swell with emotion.

Slowlty, reverently, her hand stretched forward, and Sesshoumaru thought she would make a grab for the professed hair – but instead she leaned further and placed her hand on top of his. When yellow eyes met blue, his breath hitched.

"Thank you." She whispered fiercely, her smile sweet and stunning in a way that made his chest ache.

Sesshoumaru made a sound in the back of his throat, somewhere between a dissenting snort and an acknowledging grunt, and tried to ignore how fragile and perfect her tiny hand felt on top of his.

Averting his eyes from the vision before him – the shortness of her hair had done little to mar the miko's beauty - Sesshoumaru struggled for the stoic coherency he often prided himself on, and attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere. "It is too bad though. With both our hair short, I will no longer be able to learn how to French-braid." He lamented, and one might describe his expression as sulking, except great Demon Lords very definitely did _not_ sulk.

Gradually the sound of giggling reached his ears, and Sesshoumaru looked up to see the miko laughing behind her sleeve.

He struggled to keep with her mood swings; but keen to discern them and learn more about the odd way her brain worked, he asked, "Pray tell, miko, what amuses you now?"

Smiling demurely at him with an exaggerated innocence that screamed disingenuous, Kagome cleared her throat. "Well, you see, since this whole debacle happened because you were so eager to please Rin, and the braids turned out to be a disaster - erm, I mean, not your _forte_ \- I think I may have found a solution. I recall that Rin loves the specific way I tie the sash of her yukata. Perhaps, you would like to redeem yourself and learn how to do that, instead?" she offered kindly, and her enthusiasm made Sesshoumaru astutely suspicious. However, he had no evidence of deceit aside from a niggling sensation in the pit of his stomach when she looked at him with those big blue eyes of hers, and truly, it did sound like a fairly reasonable proposal.

Determined to prove himself with this new lesson and reclaim his honor, Sesshoumaru nodded gravely.

"I accept."

"On one condition though." Kagome warned, lifting a finger.

Sesshoumaru's suspicious returned ten-fold, squinting at the strange and clever miko before him. "And what is that?" he asked, trying to keep the shrewdness from his voice.

Her smooth hand was still on top of his, and with a jolt of delight, he felt her squeeze the top of his knuckles affectionately.

"Call me _Kagome-sensei_."

Kagome smiled impishly at the flustered demon lord, and prayed that Sesshoumaru was as bad at tying sashes as he was at braiding hair.

* * *

 **AN:** Thank you so much everybody for all the lovely reviews. I read them ALL, and I learn so much from each constructive criticism.

Totally irrelevant, but the reason I even started writing fanfics was to expand my vocabulary (since English is not my main tongue, but actually my third language). So if I come off as verbose or rambling, or if my sentence structure is more than a little off-beat, I apologize in advance and I do hope you guys call me out on it. This is certainly fun for me, no doubt about it; but this is also a creative exercise where I can improve my grasp of the language and its many nuances.

Thank you so so much for every single review! Special shoutout to lady **sesshomaru sama 949** for giving me the idea of cutting Sessy's hair (although not quite in the machiavellian way she proposed jaja), and to **jazzymay377** and **pgoodrichboggs** for their ever-thoughtful comments. You guys rock.


	18. Teenage Dirtbag

**Series:** Inuyasha

 **Universe:** Highschool AU

 **Pairing:** One-sided SessKag (the one where teen Sess pines obessively over his high-school crush)

 **Rating:** PG-13 (for language?)

 **Disclaimer:** Inuyasha and its characters are the intellectual property of one Rumiko Takahashi. I only make bad fanfiction about it.

 **Author's notes:** If you are a follower of this, or any of my other stories, please read the A/N at the end of this fic. If not, enjoy.

* * *

 **Teenage Dirtbag (incomplete)**

888

"What does that filthy idiot have that I do not?"

"Pardon?" Miroku asked, looking away from his locker and to the white-haired boy standing next to him, shifting from one foot to another in a most peculiar display of agitation.

Next to Miroku, Sesshoumaru was glaring daggers at someone; his pale yellow eyes flashing dangerously in his young face. Miroku wondered what could possibly have the teenage boy in such a fit of animosity, and his grey eyes traveled Sesshoumaru's line of vision before landing on the object of his best friend's hate.

If Miroku had had the energy he would've groaned, but he bit his tongue and instead mentally rolled his eyes.

 _Here we go again…_

"Pray tell, what do you mean, Sesshoumaru?" Miroku played along, looking back into his locker and rummaging for his Algebra book.

"I have white hair too, if that's what she likes. And _I_ don't need to get mine from a color box, either." Sesshoumaru hissed under his breath, eyeing the frayed ends of Inuyasha's hair with disdain.

Standing a few paces away, as if taken from a still-shot in a teen movie, high school heart-throb Inuyasha Yamaguchi was leaning against bookwork Kagome Higurashi's locker in a most familiar fashion. Inuyasha was a bad boy if Miroku ever saw one, a delinquent even; he smoked cigarettes, skipped class and even indulged in the occasional school fight. But despite his wild nature, he had somehow forged a most odd friendship with the sweet-tempered Kagome, who was the complete polar opposite of the rowdy boy. Startlingly beautiful, her looks were somehow dimmed by the beauty in her heart and her book-level smarts. She was genuine and pure. Even someone as cynical about humanity as Miroku was could see that Kagome was the real deal. It was a wonder, then, how these two distinctively different people came together.

There were strong rumours amongst the other students that Inuyasha and Kagome were even dating, though both had denied it vehemently on multiple occasions. As Inuyasha very gently tucked a strand of hair behind a smiling Kagome's ear, Miroku could see how those rumours persisted.

Tearing his eyes away from his locker in boredom, Miroku turned back to a fuming Sesshoumaru.

"You're still on this? I thought this conversation had died, like, two class periods ago."

"It'll die the moment Inuyasha dies and Kagome is mine for the taking." Sesshoumaru spit viciously, as he imagined Inuyasha getting run over by an ice-cream struck or something equally embarrassing.

Sesshoumaru looked away from the happy couple to his best friend, who was making a face at him. "What?"

"You do realize you sound just like a Disney villain, right?"

"I could use some support here, you know?"

"Oh no." Miroku started, putting his hands up defensively. " I ain't touching this one with a 50-inch pole. Last time I 'helped you out' with a girl, you ended up with that Kagura bitch, and she was _psycho as fuck_."

Both boys paused for a moment, remembering the red-haired woman with the chaotic personality, and shivered simultaneously.

"Bitches be crazy." Sesshoumaru quoted, borrowing one of Miroku's favorite phrases.

"I'll say." Miroku agreed, slamming his locker shut. He didn't find his Algebra book, but not worries. That just meant he'd have to share a book with one of the girls in class. "Honestly, bro, I thought she was gonna pull a Lorena Bobbit on you and cut off your dick while you slept or something."

"I still wouldn't put it past her to do it." Sesshoumaru murmured darkly, remembering the obsessed woman with a bit of trepidation. Shaking his head, he pulled Miroku closer by the shoulders, all business-like. "Anyways, I have forgiven your spectacular fuck-up in that particular case –"

"Gee, thanks."

"- but would now appreciate your expertise with _this_ one."

"Sesshoumaru-"

"Please, man? I'm dying here!"

Miroku groaned, shouldering his backpack and walking side by side with Sesshoumaru as the bell for the next class rung. "Man, can't this wait for lunch though?"

"Negative. So, I was thinking I could follow her to her house-"

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish explaining my plan."

"Any plan that includes "stalking a girl to her house" is sure to fail or land you in jail, Sesshoumaru."

"Well, when you say "stalking" it makes it seem so dirty."

"Sesshoumaru." Miroku warned, his patience wearing thin.

"Al right. So perhaps instead of following her, I'm already waiting for her at her house-"

"Sesshoumaru!"

"It's not stalking if I'm already there!"

Miroku wondered what he had done to deserve such a socially inept best-friend.

* * *

Looking up from _Ecchi Ecchi Paradise_ , Miroku was suddenly struck with an inspired thought. "Why don't you just have sex with her?"

Sesshoumaru gaped at his best friend's random and unexpected suggestion. That was certainly not what he expected to hear after a very intense talk about which Start Wars secondary character fan-favorite was most overrated (Bobba Fett. Always Bobba Fett. )

After a few moments of silence where he moved his mouth up and down, but no words came out, Sesshoumaru finally managed to articulate a very eloquent "What?"

"You know, ask her if she wants to be fuck buddies." Miroku smiled deviously, shrugging at his friend's horrified expression and multiplying blush. "Everyone is doing it." He explained defensively.

"You can't just have a casual sex with every girl you happen to like." Sesshoumaru replied, half exasperated, half intrigued.

Miroku snorted. "Yes you can. _I_ do."

"Yes, but unlike you, I'm not one therapist-visit- away from being labelled a sexual deviant, you nympho."

The black-haired teen chuckled, not even the least bit hurt by his friend's insult. Miroku stretched out on Sesshoumaru's four-poster bed, luxuriating in the feeling of soft expensive sheets. It paid to have a rich best friend sometimes. "Say what you want about my sexual prowess, you jellybelly nerf-herder, but at least I don't sit around moping over girls I can't get."

The last statement gave Sesshoumaru pause. He looked at Miroku, his eyebrows drawn up in mild surprise.

"I can get Kagome." He deadpanned, although there was a note of uncertainty that did not go unnoticed by Miroku. Internally, the black-haired teen chuckled. Despite what most people thought about the blank-faced boy, Sesshoumaru was so easy to read. Especially when it came about things he was insecure about.

So as his best friend, it was naturally his duty to exploit these insecurities.

"Sure you can, Sesshoumaru." Miroku consoled patronizingly, and Sesshoumaru did not miss the very clear tone of condescension in the young man's voice.

"What is that supposed to mean?" the proud boy bristled, the ghost of a pout marring his pale features. Sesshoumaru had up till then been tending to his bedroom plants, and he set down a rather fat and, in Miroku's opinion, ugly cactus, glaring at his friend questioningly.

Miroku closed his hentai book with a sigh, coming to terms with the fact that he would not be allowed to read _Ecchi Ecchi Paradise_ in peace today.

"Look Sesshoumaru, you're a handsome guy and all. And I would totally do you if I played for the other team. Heck, I might even do you if you get enough alcohol in me. But that's because I have no standards. Girls like Kagome, though? They've got standards." he paused for effect, allowing the information to set in, then adding, "And frankly, she's way out of your league."

"I can totally get Kagome!" the white-haired youth shouted, affronted by his friend's lack of confidence in him. "We're on the same scale! She's a 10, I'm a 10; the math adds up!"

"It's a wonder how you're failing math with that brilliant assessment, really. Can you do multiplication too?" The grey-eyed boy drawled, amused.

"Screw you, Miroku." Sesshoumaru hissed.

"I told you, only if you buy me a drink first." Miroku quipped with a flirty wink. He ducked as the fat cactus was sent flying over his head and against the wall.

* * *

Sesshoumaru watched the girl from afar. As he always did, except, you know, not in a creepy way or anything. More like in a longing, brooding, romantic way. But that was beside the point.

Kagome was stapling some papers into the hallway bulletin board, although he couldn't make out what they said from where he was standing. Miroku's comment from last night kept ringing in his ears, and he scowled so darkly that a passing student walking nearby stopped and began walking in the opposite direction as fast as possible.

Sesshoumaru could totally get a girl like Kagome. He was her equal in every single way. They were both the highest grades in every material, they were members of the same student council associations and clubs (by his design of course), and they were certainly on the same playing field when it came to looks. Sesshoumaru was even proud to say he had his own little fan club, thank-you-very-much.

And it wasn't only her beauty that Sesshoumaru sought – he liked to think he wasn't _that_ shallow (however much Miroku tried to convince everyone else otherwise). No, Sesshoumaru certainly appreciated – nay – _admired_ the way the young girl took an active interest in those around her. She was considerate, always bringing a small but thoughtful gift on someone's birthday, regardless of how close they were; or copying the classwork for students who for health reasons weren't able to come to school on a particular day. Heck, even her friendship to the waste of space that was Inuyasha and his gang of hooligans – The Shikon Hunters – could be considered an act of charity.

Sesshoumaru admired all those little things that made her just an all-around _nice_ person. Her looks were just a bonus.

The tall, spying teen would have taken the time to admire her form from behind – the way her glossy black hair waved side to side, her long toned legs all the more brought into focus as she stood on tiptoes trying to apply as much force to the clipping contraption – and really, a million other details about her physically. But Sesshoumaru was too damn distracted by the ever-present pest that was the white-haired copycat standing next to her.

Fucking Inuyasha.

Said pest sneaked up behind Kagome and grabbed the staple and paper from her hand, effortlessly clipping it to the board above her head thanks to his height. He said something Sesshoumaru couldn't quite catch, but it seemed designed to annoy the pretty raven because she turned to him and scowled. And damn, she even looked pretty when she was mad.

No time for Sesshoumaru to celebrate though, because just as quickly as she had pouted, she smiled impishly and bumped her hip against Inuyasha's in an all-too playful manner. Inside his chest, Sesshoumaru could feel the growl burning deep within the beast.

Inuyasha and Kagome walked away, chattering animatedly, and Sesshoumaru waltzed up to the bulletin board. The white-haired youth ripped the newly stapled sheet off the cork surface and brought it up to his face, reading intently.

"Whatcha reading there?"

Sesshoumaru didn't even jump as Miroku peeked over his shoulder, amused at his friend's blatant curiosity.

"Mind sharing with the class?" Miroku prodded teasingly.

"It's an ad..." Sesshoumaru explained softly. "…offering tutoring services to student's having difficulty in math. $15 an hour."

Miroku whistled. "Not a bad deal for her. Definitely better than working at some crummy fastfood chain or retail store-"

"This is it." Sesshoumaru breathed, his heart racing in excitement.

Miroku pouted, puzzled by his friend's vague statement. "What's it?"

Sesshoumaru turned and smacked the paper, waving it in Miroku's face as if that were explanation enough. "This! This is the answer!" At his friend's raised eyebrows, Sesshoumaru clarified. "Kagome is looking for a student; if she's desperate enough she'll probably accept anybody. I'll just pretend to be bad at math and hire her as my tutor!"

"What do you mean _pretend?_ " Miroku snickered, laughing when it earned him a smack over the head.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello, this is Ange. Sorry for the long absence. And I also apologize for coming back with, not only a very short, confusing fic, but an incomplete one to boot.

These past few months have been exceedingly hard for me. My family was one of thousands affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico, leaving us without any water or electricity for the past 100 days. Yes. 100 days.

My family is in good healthy fortunately. Coming by food is hard, but not impossible, and we are slowly rebuilding. But this has obviously affected my life in unprecedented ways and writing fics has taken a very hard back-seat in my list of priorities.

I'm not asking for pity, just for your understanding and forgiveness. As of now, all fics will be put on hiatus for the foreseeable future. That includes "Shikon Hentai High", "Teacher's Favorite", "Moonlight Shadow", "And they call it Puppy Love" and "Teacher (with Benefits)". I might update once every blue moon, but as things stand now, I see that being very hard. It doesn't help that I'm preparing for thesis, which will take well over a whole year to produce.

If you're a long-time follower, I just want to extend my most sincere thanks. I read everything you guys write, the good and the bad, the long and the short, and I appreciate every single message and review I receive. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

With all my love and appreciation,

Ange


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